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EARLY DAYS 

IN 

AUBURN DALE 




A VILLAGE CHRONICLE OF 
TWO CENTURIES 



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Courtesy of Mr. H. O. Rider 



THE WARE HOUSE 
Built in 1783, on the site of the old Robinson Homestead. 



EARLY DAYS 

IN 

AUBURN DALE 

^ Village Chronicle of Two Centuries 
1665-1870 

CONTAINING 

REMINISCENCES OF EARLY SETTLERS 
ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS 




PUBUSHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE 

EDUCATION COMMITTEE 

OF THE 

AUBURNDALE WOMAN'S CLUB 



Copyright 1917. Louise Peloubet 






/ 

JUl 19 1917 



>CI.A467879 



CONTENTS 



Foreword 

Earlt Days in Auburn Dale Louise Peloubet 

The Pioneer Period 

Auburn Dale in the Forties 

The Railroad 

The Churches Helen J. Farley 

The Missionary Home 

From an account by Mrs. Eliza H. Walker 

Schools Jessie H. Macmillan 

Lasell Seminary Clara A. Winslow 

Social Life Nellie P. Draper 

Reminiscences : 

Charles H. Johnson James L. Hillard 

Arthur C. Walworth Charles W. Robinson 

Harriet Walker Francis E. Clark 

Annie M. Hinckley From Various Sources 

List of Streets with Former Names 

Period Map of Auburndale C. W. Blood 



FOREWORD 



The suggestion for this Httle book came from a study 
of local history, and a morning on "Auburndale" at the 
Review Club. In preparing for this morning, some of 
us began to realize, for the first time, how much of his- 
torical interest Auburndale offered, and how many were 
the interwoven threads of reminiscence and narrative 
that could be followed now, but would soon be lost sight 
of forever. To weave these threads together into some 
sort of an old-time fabric which would record the events 
of early village life while those were still living who re- 
membered its beginnings, was the first motive in the pub- 
lishing of this brief history. 

From that motive, others have grown, with the desire 
to trace the threads further and further back to their 
earliest source. The study of ancient records has 
brought to light many interesting facts which are con- 
nected with the development of our country as well as 
of our village. The region which is now Auburndale 
was settled by pioneers long before the American Revo- 
lution, and there are houses still standing here which 
were the homes of men and women who not only car- 
ried on a courageous struggle with nature in the wilder- 
ness, but who helped to shape the ideals and the political 
institutions of our state and so of our nation. 

Whatever value this little book may have is due to the 
hearty co-operation and ready response of all the early 
settlers who could be reached, and to the investigations of 
later residents. 



6 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

The editors wish to make grateful acknowledgment 
of the helpful information given by Mrs. Walter C. Ware, 
Mrs. Mary H. Kimball, Mrs. Charles B. Bourne, Mrs. 
Charles O. Fox, Miss Dora A. Allen, Mrs. Caroline 
J. Barker, Mr. George B. Knapp, and others. Especial 
gratitude is due to Mr. G. H. Frost, whose accurate 
memory precedes that of anyone now living here, and 
whose picturesque story of school days and early life 
in this vicinity covers many points touched by no one 
else ; to Mr. H. G. Hildreth, whose unfailing interest has 
given impetus to the work, — who has been a mine of 
information himself, and has also furnished data from 
the records of church and village ; and to Mr. C. W. 
Blood, whose period-map of Auburndale, involving con- 
stant reference to deeds, wills, vital statistics and ancient 
documents of all kinds, has been a laborious and pains- 
taking task, which has incidentally furnished to the gen- 
eral history many otherwise unobtainable facts. 

Those who have been able to write out Reminiscences 
will find recognition and appreciation among all readers ; 
but of these, Mr. C. H. Johnson should be mentioned as 
one to whom we have made continual reference, aside 
from what he has written, and whose graphic tales of 
the "good old times" were one of the chief inspirations 
of this undertaking. 

From the memory of those living, and from reference 
to original documents, many dates have been fixed and 
some facts discovered about which the historians were 
silent or conflicting. The "History of Newton," by S. 
F. Smith, a "History of the Early Settlement of New- 
ton," by Francis Jackson, and King's "Handbook of 
Newton," give some space, though comparatively little. 



FOREWORD 7 

to the history of this region. We have depended on 
these histories for quotations and for many broad state- 
ments ; but in strictly local matters where authorities dif- 
fered, we have tried to reach the sources from which 
the historians drew. As far as possible, we have "check- 
ed up" and verified one authority by another. It has 
sometimes taken weeks to fix one date, and to know the 
full, obtainable history of Auburndale with absolute 
accuracy would mean a study of years. As the time de- 
voted to the present pamphlet has been snatched from 
the regular occupations of busy persons, it cannot claim 
to be complete or infallible. No one is more conscious 
than the editors of its certain failure in these respects ; 
but we beg indulgence for inevitable mistakes, and hope, 
through the kindness of those who read this little his- 
tory, to learn of them. 

Space, which means expense, has had to be carefully 
considered, and a great deal of material which might 
have been delightfully used has necessarily been ex- 
cluded. To stop at the date "1870" was almost as hard 
as for Rip Van Winkle not to take one more drink. But 
the history of our village from that time to modern 
days would, at the least, fill another volume as large as 
this. Those who remember this later period are numer- 
ous and the material is accessible, compared to that of 
the years preceding. For that reason, we have limited 
our account to the pioneer period and the earliest days 
of the village, hoping that some time the equally inter- 
esting reminiscences of a later date will be recorded. 

Louise Peloubet, 
Clara A. JVinslozv. 



EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Louise Pelonbet. 

THE PIONEER PERIOD. 

The land which is now Auburndale first appears in 
the white man's records in the year 1635 when New 
Towfie, the present Cambridge, obtained from Water- 
town large grants of land, including what is now Brigh- 
ton and Newton. This grant was first called "The 
South Side of the Charles River," or sometimes by its 
Indian name "Nonantum." About 1654 the name of 
this region became "Cambridge Village" or "New Cam- 
bridge," and in 1691 "New Towne," a revival of the 
ancient and abandoned name first given to Cambridge. 

The deed by which Cambridge in 1640 secured the 
title to her lands from the Squaw-sachem of the local 
Indians included, of course, the lands on the south side 
of the Charles. The General Court ordered certain sums 
of money to be paid by Watertown and by Cambridge ; 
"and also Cambridge is to give squa-sachem a coate 
every winter while shee liveth." Thus the title of New- 
ton to her lands antedates that of Boston to the Shawmut 
Peninsula by nearly half a century. 

Prior to 1664, the territory now belonging to Auburn- 
dale seems to have been a part of the common lands. In 
that year and in 1665, the Proprietors of the common 
lands, over one hundred in number, divided about 3,000 
acres among themselves, probably including all Auburn- 
dale. The division seems to have been accomplished by 
running lines substantially at right angles to Washing- 
ton Street down to the river, the rectangular parcels thus 
created being referred to as "squadrons." These squad- 



10 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

rons were separated by passageways, variously referred 
to as "highways," "rangeways" or "proprietor's ways," 
which gave access from Washington Street to the more 
remote parts of the squadrons which were subdivided 
into smaller holdings. Two of these rangeways still ex- 
ist in Woodland Road and in Greenough Street and that 
part of Auburn Street lying between Greenough Street 
and the Railroad Station. Unfortunately, the Proprie- 
tor's records arc silent as to the location of these grants, 
and the obscurity of the ancient deeds, and lack of re- 
liable land marks makes it well nigh impossible to locate 
the original grants with much certainty. 

It is safe to say, however, that John Stedman was 
granted 80 acres in the center of Auburndale, and that 
James Cutler, William Dixon, Daniel Andrew and Ab- 
ram Errington were also among the original owners. So 
far as can be ascertained, none of these people ever set- 
tled on their lands. 

The first settler of whom we know anything personal 
was William Robinson, who made his home in a clearing 
of the forest extending along the winding river Charles, 
nearly one hundred years before the Revolution. It is 
probable that about 1678 he came to live in a house on 
the site of what was lately known as the "Martin Col- 
lier" house, still standing on Freeman Street (No. 79). 
He certainly owned other land in this region, which was 
later part of Thomas Greenwood's farm. 

William Robinson was one of the fifty-two signers 
of the petition "To the Honored Governor, Deputy Gov- 
ernor, together with the Honorable Magistrates now 
sitting in Boston" that Cambridge Village (now New- 
ton) should be made independent of Cambridge, or in 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 11 

the words of the petition "that you will please grant to 
us our freedom from Cambridge, and that we may be a 
township of ourselves, without any more dependence 
upon Cambridge, which hath been a great charge and 
burthen to us." 

Jackson says "the first movement of the inhabitants 
of the Village for a separation from the church and 
town of Cambridge was commenced in 1654, and com- 
pleted August 27, 1679, a quarter of a century [later]. 
During that severe and tedious struggle, to obtain the 
privileges of an independent town, they exhibited a most 
determined perseverance and love of freedom." In the 
language of the Cambridge remonstrants, "those long- 
breathed petitioners rested not, but continued to bait 
their hooks, and cast their lines into the sea, tiring out 
the Courts with their eager pursuits, and obliging them 
to dance after their pipers for twenty-five years." 

William Robinson the pioneer, at the time of his death 
in 1693, did not own any land in Newton; but his son, 
William Robinson, the second of the name, about 1697 
began to lay the foundation for a large farm by pur- 
chasing adjacent tracts from diflFerent owners, until in 
1742, he had acquired about 200 acres, widely known as 
the "Robinson Farm." This farm covered a large part 
of the territory now called Auburndale, including sub- 
stantially all the land between Lexington Street, Auburn 
Street, and the Charles River. Its boundaries, as shown 
in a still existing plan of 1754, are shown on the map. 

The original owner of the farm, William Robinson the 
second, born in 1673, was living on the Arrington (or 
Errington) farm, as early as 1730, and in that year, he 
bought the interest of Arrington's grandson. His house. 



\2 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

the Robinson homestead, was doubtless on the site of 
the present "Ware" house, and there is a tradition that 
the cellar and cellar stairs are the same as those now in 
existence. 

This William Robinson, more than any other man, 
might be considered the founder of Auburndale. What 
were scattered tracts of land, he united into a substan- 
tial farm upon which he built one of the earliest home- 
steads, if not the very earliest. He was evidently a man 
of vigor and initiative, and was one of the selectmen of 
the town of Newton. 

On Christmas day, 1742, he made deeds to three of 
his sons, William, John, and Jeremiah, dividing the farm 
among them. These deeds were given to a third person 
to hold until after the death of the donor. He gave his 
house, barn, and 79 acres to his son, Jeremiah ; 58^ 
acres to his son, William, and 55 acres to his son, John, 
the boundary lines being practically parallel with the old 
squadron lines. 

Jeremiah Robinson died a few days before his father, 
and, as he apparently never married, this son may have 
lived with his father in the Robinson homestead (on the 
site of the present "Ware" house. No. 2159 Common- 
wealth Ave.). Jeremiah's interest passed to his sis- 
ters under his father's will, and in 1773 the land was 
sold to Elisha Seaverns, who built the house now stand- 
ing, about 1783. The Ware family fix this date by the 
fact that Patience Seaverns, born in 1779, was just old 
enough to carry a small pail of water to the men who 
were working on the house, but so small that she fell 
and spilled it all. Patience Seaverns married Walter 
Ware in 1798. Their son, Elisha Ware, bought all the 




Courtesy of Mrs. Chas. O. Fox 

THE BOURNE HOUSE 

Built between 1726-1742. 

Once known as Whittemore's Tavern. 




The Bourne House, looking south, in 1880. 



14 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

interest of the other heirs, and his descendants have 
since occupied the house, which is one of the most re- 
markable in Auburndale for several reasons. 

In all probability it stands on the site of the old Robin- 
son homestead ; it has remained in the hands of one fam- 
ily from the year of the Treaty of Peace between Great 
Britain and her colonies to the present day ; and it has 
the surroundings of open country and the old-time aspect 
which make it possible for us to imagine for a moment 
the Auburndale of woodlands, pastures and farms. 

On that Christmas day when the first owner of the 
Robinson farm divided his land among his sons, we may 
picture WiUiam, whom we will call William Robinson 
the third, as living in the present "Bourne" house, on 
that part of the farm deeded to him. The house (No. 
473 Auburn St.), built somewhere between 1726 and 
1742, probably by William Robinson second, was pur- 
chased from his son William by John Whitmore in 1764. 
As the house is often referred to as "Nathaniel Whitte- 
more's Tavern," it is reasonable to suppose that Nathan- 
iel Whitmore, an uncle of John, kept a tavern there at 
this period. If so, many travelers on foot, or by stage- 
coach along the well-known route over Weston Bridge, 
must have stopped there and discussed the absorbing 
topics of those pre-Revolutionary days. The tavern 
was conveniently situated near the bridge and at the 
junction of the two highways. Auburn Street and Wood- 
land Road, leading either to the Natick road, or over the 
turnpike toward Boston. Though crowded upon now 
by the railroad and other houses, this old house keeps 
its picturesqueness, and is a delightful reminder of the 
olden time. It is, beyond question, the oldest house now 



16 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Standing in Auburndale. In 1773 John Whitmore sold 
the property to John Pigeon. 

John Robinson's share in his father's farm was also 
sold to John Pigeon, who built, sometime between 1770 
and 1777, the house now occupied by Mrs. John Burr, 
standing between the post-office and Taylor Block. It 
once stood about where the "Melrose" now stands. The 
present "Briggs" house on the corner of Ash and Mel- 
rose Streets was formerly the barn belonging to this 
house, and the well was located in the middle of what is 
now Melrose Street. In 1818, the property was sold to 
the town, and became the Poor Farm, the house being 
used as the Poor House. 

At that time, according to Mr. John Burr, the house 
was enlarged by the addition of an ell, which now stands 
as a separate dwelling on Auburn Street (No. 504), hav- 
ing played its humble part in the history of our village 
for nearly a century. 

In Revolutionary times, the "Bourne" and "John 
Burr" houses were on the main highway of the settle- 
ment ; for early records state that a road was laid out in 
1729, "through oure Towne of Newton from the Foard- 
way in Charles River over against the Towneway in 
Weston to the Countrey Rode that goeth from the Lower 
Falles to Watertowne" (or from Weston Bridge to 
Washington St.). 

This was substantially the Auburn Street of today up 
to its junction with Greenough Street, which the county 
road then followed. Auburn Street, from Greenough to 
Washington, was opened as a short cut from Weston 
Bridge to West Newton about the end of the 18th cen- 
tury, when it is spoken of as the "new county road." 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 17 

It is interesting to observe that old houses were most 
frequently placed with a southern exposure, on com- 
paratively low land, so as to be sheltered from wind and 
weather. This is the case with the "Bourne" and "John 
Burr" houses now standing in Auburndale, and was also 
true of the old "Washburn" house, torn down not many 
years ago. 

The latter stood on the farm bought by Benjamin 
Child in 1717, lying northeast of the Robinson farm, 
while to the north lay the farm of Jonathan Williams, 
containing about 100 acres. 

Benjamin Child built the old "Washburn" house, pro- 
bably in 1722, at any rate before 1750, and himself lived 
there. He gave one-half of the house to his son, Samuel 
Child, and this, with the part of his father's farm belong- 
ing to him, was sold to John Pigeon in 1769. It was ap- 
parently in this house that John Pigeon lived for a short 
time upon coming to this settlement, after which the 
property passed through the hands of several persons 
(among them John Durell) and was finally bought by 
Joshua Washburn. A front corner of the house which 
stood parallel with Auburn Street, almost touched the 
line of the present railroad, about 200 feet east of the 
Auburn Street bridge. 

Traces of the old cellar can still be seen near the "new" 
Washburn house, which was moved back close to the old 
house when the Boulevard was built. The second, or 
"new" Washburn house, is the last house on the right 
hand side of the alley leading to the freight yards. It 
was built by Joshua Washburn, and stood in his day a 
few feet back toward the present coal yards from Pluta's 
market, in a sort of courtyard facing Auburn Street. 



18 



EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 



This region is now as forlorn a part of Auburndale as 
can be found ; but seventy-five years ago it was part of a 
prosperous farm. 




Courtesy of Mr. H. O. Rider 

THE OLD WASHBURN HOUSE 
Built in 1722. Recently torn down. 



In 1748, Jonathan Williams bought from Isaac Wil- 
liams the farm already referred to, north of the Robin- 
son farm, on which stood a house, very likely the same 
one which was the home of William Robinson, the pio- 
neer, in the 17th century. Williams was a well-known 
man in Newton. In 1760 he was one of a committee of 
three instructed by the inhabitants of the westerly part 
of Newton to "solicit contributions and commence the 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 19 

building of a meeting-house, as soon as there should be 
sufficient encouragement." With others, he requested 
of the town a reasonable sum of money for the support 
of the new meeting-house (in West Newton). The re- 
quest was rejected every year from 1770-1774, but "as 
often as the petition was rejected, so often they pressed 
theii- suit afresh. * * * At length in 1778, they petitioned 
the General Court to be set off as an independent parish, 
which was granted." 

Williams was one of the first standing committee of 
the West parish, and one of the original members of the 
Second Church of Newton. It is interesting to note how 
liberal were the conditions of membership in the new 
church. The candidate must "make a public confession 
of religion, and dedication of himself to God," — nothing 
more. 

The Williams farm, after falling into various hands, 
became the property of Nathaniel Weld, before 1800. 
About 1840, the house, then belonging to John Han- 
son, was burned to the ground, — soon after which a 
house was built on the same spot by Martin Collier, 
which stands today. 

By the end of the 18th century, the southerly two- 
thirds of the Robinson farm had passed into the posses- 
sion of John Pigeon, and then into that of his son, 
Henry, who also acquired about 30 acres to the south of 
Woodland Road ; all the remaining land to the west 
bounded by Woodland Road, Auburn Street and the river, 
being owned by Dr. Josiah Star. It was Henry's son, C. D. 
Pigeon, who returned to his father's home, and was one 
of those most active in the development of Auburndale 
in the forties. 



20 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

John Pigeon is thus an important link which binds the 
Auburndale of Colonial times to the thriving village of 
today ; and, aside from being a large property holder, he 
was one of the most noteworthy figures of our early his- 
tory because of the patriotic part that he played in the 
War of Independence. 

In the stirring days that led up to the American Revo- 
lution, his name is prominent in the town records ; and 
during the struggle itself, in which Newton took so cred- 
itable a stand, we find John Pigeon again a leader, al- 
though probably not young enough to do active service. 

At a town meeting on January 6, 1774, resolutions 
were presented which show the tenor of feeling in New- 
ton. There are several paragraphs protesting against 
the "reiterated attempts of the British Parliament to un- 
dermine our happy Constitution," and expressing down- 
right refusal to pay any tax "imposed without our con- 
sent." Paragraph "6" is a resolution "that a committee 
of correspondence be appointed, to confer and corres- 
pond with the committees of any or all our sister towns 
in the Province, as occasion may require." 

John Pigeon was appointed to serve on this commit- 
tee, which was of the greatest importance as a first step 
in the formation of a complete Revolutionary organiza- 
tion. In September, 1774, he was chosen by the town 
of Newton as chairman of a committee "to prepare in- 
structions to our Representative to the General Court." 
This responsibility he shared, among others, with Alex- 
ander Shepard, another famous resident of what is now 
Auburndale. At the same meeting, John Pigeon was 
appointed, with one other, as a delegate to the "Provin- 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 21 

cial Congress to be held at Concord on the second Tues- 
day in October next." 

In 1775, he presented to the town two field pieces, 
whereupon, according to Jackson, "it was voted to ac- 
cept the cannon, or field pieces, with the thanks of the 
Towne for his generous and patriotic donation." New- 
ton raised men and money to "exercise" and mount this 
artillery. The signal announcing the march of the Brit- 
ish toward Lexington was fired from one of John Pig- 
eon's guns kept at the gun-house in Newton Center. When 
the 8,000 Massachusetts soldiers were encamped at Cam- 
bridge, in July, 1775, awaiting the arrival of General 
Washington, John Pigeon was commissary-general of 
the forces. 

We can thus see that the historian is justified in say- 
ing of Pigeon that "he was a zealous, liberal and ener- 
getic friend of the independence of the Colonies." And, 
through him, Auburndale can claim its share in the heroic 
efforts which resulted in the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. 

We see the religious spirit of John Pigeon, transcend- 
ing even the conventional quaint expressions of his day, 
in the following extract from his will "In the Name of 
God Amen On the third Day of March One thousand 
Seven hun'd & Seventy Seven I John Pidgeon of New- 
ton in the County of Middlesex and in the State of the 
Massachusetts Bay in New England Esq. being through 
the Goodness of God in Usually good health & of Per- 
fect Mind and Memory for which I also Desire to Bless 
God but calling to mind the Mortality of my body and 
the Great Uncertainty of life & how frequently Sudden 
Deaths happen & knowing that it is appointed to all Men 



22 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Once to Die Do make & Ordain this my last Will & Tes- 
tament my Soul into the hands of God that gave it & my 
Body Recommended to the Earth to be Buried in a Plain 
Decent & Christian Burial Nothing Doubting but at the 
General Resurrection I shall Receive the Same again by 
the Mighty Power of God and as Touching Such Worldly 
Wealth or Estate wherewith it haith Pleased God to 
bless me in this life." * * * There follow directions for 
the disposal of property. That referring to the "Jo^^'^ 
Burr" house reads, "Item I give & Bequeath Unto my 
Other Son Henry Pidgeon the Estates I bought of the 
Late John Robinson & Sam'l Bacon with the house & 
Other Buildings thereto belonging." * * * Another in- 
teresting paragraph refers to his slave, Dinah. "Item I 
do hereby emancipate & forever set free My Negro Wo- 
man Dinah as I have an utter abhorence to slavery in 
any shape whatever. * * *" 

The farms so far mentioned have either bordered on 
the river or been situated at no great distance from it, 
but we must not think of it as the river we know today, 
for in the eighteenth century the Charles River at Au- 
burndale was a very different stream. Instead of a com- 
paratively deep river with large coves and wide stretches, 
it was much narrower, similar to the river today 
above the Concord Street Bridge. The coves which 
we know as Ware's Cove, Fowle's Cove, etc., were mea- 
dows of considerable value. The change took place 
about 1815, when the dam at Waltham was raised and 
the water backed up on these meadows. Between the 
Waltham line, below Ware's Cove and the big bend 
just above Riverside, according to the records, more 



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24 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

than 50 acres of meadows on the Auburndale side were 
flowed, and the owners were awarded about $4,000 dam- 
ages, a very considerable sum in those days. Among 
other property damaged, was "Roberson's [Weston] 
Bridge" and its approaches on both sides of the river; 
and the Town of Newton was paid $130 to reimburse 
it. 

As a result of this flooding, stumps of trees along the 
old river banks were submerged many yards from the 
new shore line, and with the increasing use of the river 
for pleasure boats became a great annoyance, until in 
the '80's the worst ones were blown up with dynamite. 

Weston Bridge was referred to at different times in 
the early records as "Roberson's" bridge and "Star's 
bridge, the spelling being variable. In remote times, 
there was a "fordway" at this point, "over against 
the townway in Weston," spoken of in 1729. 
There is a record of a bridge in 1743 and of a "new" 
bridge in 1753. We know that the bridge was rebuilt in 
1815, when the water rose several feet; and Nathan 
Crafts is said to have built, about 1850, the stone arches 
which, until 1916, represented Newton's side of the river; 
while Weston's side long remained a frail structure of 
wood, but was finally rebuilt of stone. A little way up 
the river, stood in very early days, a solitary house, the 
home of Sebas Jackson in 1771, and then of his son, Dan- 
iel Jackson. Aside from stage and foot travel over 
Weston bridge, this human habitation in the wilderness 
was in a lonely spot indeed, and had disappeared by 1831. 

But all the life of the scattered settlement which grew 
up previous to the Revolution did not center about the 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 25 

farms which bordered the river. Other homes were 
built along the "Countrey Rode that goeth from the 
Lower Falles to Watertowne," at other times called the 
"Natick" and the "Sherburne" Road (Washington 
St.). 

Passing along this road toward the Lower Falls, about 
the middle of the eighteenth century, we should have 
seen among the trees on our right a house which must 
have resembled the house that stands there today, just 
beyond Aspen Avenue (No. 1838 Washington St.) ; 
only the great and beautiful elm would have been at that 
time a young tree. The present house was built by 
Enoch Smith about 1846-7, but the site is almost certain- 
ly one of an old house where William Cheney is said to 
have lived in 1745. 

Beyond this, on the same side, could have been seen 
near the road another house, a little north of where the 
railroad now runs. It is marked on the old maps as the 
home of "Joseph Jackson. 1734." The so-called "Pratt" 
house, once the home of William F. Ward, a favorite 
teacher at the Auburn Street School, seems to have stood 
on the old site, but it was burned within the memory of 
those now living, and all traces of it have disappeared. 

On the left side of the Natick road across from the 
sites of these two early houses, there stood, long before 
the Revolution, a house which is there today, though 
somewhat altered in appearance (No. 1828 Washington 
St.). A third story, piazzas, and a new two-story ell 
which takes the place of the long, low one, are some of 
the outside alterations. Within, the old kitchen is no 
more a kitchen, and the enormous fireplace where the 
crane used to hang is gone, but the rooms of the old part 



26 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

with their low-beamed ceilings, and the heavy oak-pan- 
elled doors with their wrought-iron hinges, speak of long 
ago. Here lived one of the most interesting Newton men 
of colonial days, and one whom Auburndale can claim, 
Alexander Shepard. In 1770, Shepard sold this land to 
John Pigeon as a lot of 60 acres, "with a dwelling house 
and barn," so it is almost certain that Shepard built the 
house, probably about 1740. 

In 1804, the farm came into the hands of Jeremiah 
Allen, and at that time, it was said to be an old house. 
His granddaughter, Miss Dora A. Allen, lives there today, 
and her father, Mr. Augustus Allen, used to tell of "sun 
marks" which he remembered on the window frame of 
one of the south windows, by which this family once 
told the time of day. Mr. Allen's farm included a large 
part of what is now the Brae Burn Country Club. 

Alexander Shepard was a leading man in the town of 
Newton for many years, "a man of talents and educa- 
tion," as will be seen by the extracts from his letters and 
by the positions that he was called upon to fill. 

On January 4, 1772, Shepard was chosen by the town 
as one of a committee "to consider and report what it 
may be proper for the town to do, relating to the present 
unhappy situation this country is reduced to, by some 
late attacks on our constitutional rights and privileges." 
Their report was a long one. It defended the rights of 
the colonists in vigorous terms, and advised that among 
other courses of action "a manly remonstrance be sent 
to the King, assuring His Majesty that universal dis- 
content prevails in America, and nothing will restore 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 



27 



harmony and insure the attachment of the people to the 
Crown, but a full restoration of all their liberties." 

Not only was Shepard a man of sagacity and moral 
courage, but a man of action. He was one of thirty- 
seven volunteers, called the "alarm list," made up of men 
past the age for active service, who belonged to the West 
Company commanded by Capt. Amariah Fuller at the 
battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. All 
of these men marched twenty-eight miles that day. 



idoW Sa- 

e qp faid 

Printen 

Reward, 

i(criber. 

MITH. 



S, by 

tfitn Sttli/- 
had « f 00-? 

rh« Agree- 
very good 



'modiout for MilU. The faid Land may be contenief 
tided into fe'veral Farms, at may fu'it the Purchaferi, who 
it be incoovenieirt to pay the Money on the Sale) may have a> 
reafonable Time to pay the fame, giving good Seeuntyon In- 
tereft. Enquire of Edes Ic Gill. 



m l_ C» -..1 J on the Premifles, Of at the Tavern .-_ 
1 O be bOlQ neareft the fame, at Public Ven- *J?" 
due, en Wednefday the iSth Day of March Inftant (if not J^ ' 
{o\i before at prirate Sale) a good FARM in Newtown, con- j^^.^ 
taining about Sixty Acres, with a Dwelling-Houfe, Barn, and 
Orchard thereon ; about ten MUes from Bofton : bounded on .^ 

Land belonging to Henry Stnall, Efq; Samuel Kilter, and £*- ^^^^^ 
ene^r Banlei, aad lying on the County Road leadmg from ^^^^^ 
the lower Falls in faid Newtown to Watertown : being the 
Farm whereon Mr. Alexander Shepard lives. If the Pur- 
chafer ftould not incline t» pay the Money immediately, good 
Security therefor on Intereft wiU anfwer. Enquire of Edes 
&GiU. 



To he Sold, Sy public Vendue on the j8th Day of Msrc) 
next, at the Houfe of Mr. Joftuia Wyman, lnnho!d-^ 

' '^rrt, in the Cdunty of Middlefex, at One o'Clf 

^ faid Day, by Order obtained frod 
jature, holden at Cambridge^ 
mo pomin'i| 1764 

From "The Boston Gazette and Country Journal", issue of 

March 12, 1770, which also gives an account 

of the Boston Massacre. 

Reproduced from the Boston Transcript of March 12, 1917. 



28 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Newton's stand in the War of Independence was un- 
mistakable. On June 17, 1776, a town meeting was held, 
the warrant for which contained as the second article, 
the following: 

"That in case the Hon. Continental Congress 
should, for the safety of the American Colonies, de- 
clare them independent of the Kingdom of Great 
Britain, whether the inhabitants of this town will 
solemnly engage with their lives and fortunes, to 
support them in the measure." 

"After debate, the question was put, and the vote passed 

unanimously in the affirmative." 

In carrying out this solemn pledge, as Newton did ta 
the full extent of its resources, men from that part of 
the town now Auburndale were not wanting. 

On December 18, 1776, a committee, of which Alex- 
ander Shepard was chairman, and of which his son, 
Alexander Shepard, Jr., also from the Auburndale dis- 
trict, was a member, was appointed by the town "to ad- 
just matters relative to an allowance to soldiers for ser- 
vices done in the war, since April 19, 1775 ; and also ta 
consider in what manner the war shall be supported by 
the inhabitants for the future." 

After services on various other committees, Shepard,. 
Sr., was appointed, in August, 1779, as a "Delegate to 
the Convention, to be holden at Concord, on the 6th of 
October next." 

Two letters written by him to be read at the Newton 
town meetings, one ten years before the Revolution and 
one soon after its close, show him to have been a man of 
broad views and deeply desirous of the welfare of all 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 29 

the inhabitants of Newton, especially of the poor. In 

his letter, dated October, 1766, he says : 

"Gentlemen: In the first place I would humbly 
beg that my belonging to the westwardly part of the 
town may not prejudice any one against hearing and 
duly considering the truth. * * * 

fs it not very obvious that peace and unanimity 
has for a considerable time threatened to depart 
from amongst us, — and unhappy strife, contention 
and divisions greatly prevail in every quarter? — the 
which (though by some thought to be but trifling) 
are alarming, and much to be lamented ; and all just 
and serious endeavors should be used to prevent the 
increase thereof, and to obtain a restoration of our 
former peace and harmony, otherwise the Town is 
in a fair way for ruin. * * * 

From whence did these sad things proceed? Were 
they not, in a great measure, owing to our expending 
large sums of money needlessly, to gratify the de- 
sires of some, while others were deprived of their 
just rights and privileges?" 

Joining the Natick road, about opposite the present 
junction of Woodland Road and Washington Street, was 
a very ancient road, laid out in 1750, which coincides for 
the greater part of its length with the modern Fuller 
Street. According to old records and within the mem- 
ory of Mr. G. H. Frost, Fuller Street ran across the 
present Atkinson place almost directly into Woodland 
Road. In 1850, this direct line toward Auburndale was 
changed so that Fuller Street turned off toward West 
Newton, Woodland Road having fallen into disuse, and 



30 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

West Newton being the church and railroad center at 
that time. Mr. C. M. Stimson, who lived on the corner 
of Fuller and Washington Streets, was responsible for 
this change. According to Mr. Frost, Mr. Stimson's 
house was so near to the street that he kept a huge stone 
on the corner which he whitewashed every year so that it 
could be seen at night and would prevent passing teams- 
from scraping the house. After the line of Fuller Street 
was changed, Mr. C. M. Stimson moved the old house 
back from the street to the barn, which combined with it 
forms the Atkinson house (No. 1720 Washington St.) 
The map of Jackson's history indicates that one of the 
very earliest houses of this region, the home of Joseph 
Miller in 1675, stood, though further from the street, 
about on the site of the Waiting Station at the corner of 
Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Street ; but there 
is no tradition nor memory of this house among those 
now living. Its position, relative to that of the old Stim- 
son house, is doubtful. 

Nearly opposite, on the now empty lot at the corner of 
Woodland Road and Washington Street, facing the lat- 
ter, stood until 1850 another house, — a little low, one- 
storied building of four rooms or so, looking very dilapi- 
dated in Mr. Frost's boyhood, — where Mr. Stimson's 
hired men lived at different times. This house must have 
occupied much the position of an old house in which 
Joseph Brown lived in 1762, and which was sold by him 
to Joshua Jackson in 1764; and may have been the same. 

Woodland Road, a "range-way" as early as 1690, 
perhaps 1664, was the road "over which the Worcester 
turn-pike passed on the way from the First Church 
[Newton Centre] to the Weston Bridge, and for many^ 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 31 

years held its place as one of the most important high- 
ways of the county." Alexander Shepard wrote in 1766, 
"I am well assured that it will not be for the advantage 
of the Town to oppose * * * the laying out (or open- 
ing) the way leading from the house of Joshua Jackson, 
near the house of John Whitmore" (Woodland Road). 
It seems to be the accepted tradition that Burgoyne's 
captive army marched over this road in 1777. King's 
Handbook says, "Over this rugged road marched the 
forlorn battalions of Burgoyne's captive army, English 
infantry, Irish linesmen, and Hessian yagers, the latter 
attended by droves of women, bearing huge bags of 
camp equipage, and babies." As these soldiers are known 
to have stopped at White's Tavern (between the old 
elm and the post-office in West Newton), one wonders 
why they did not take the more direct route from Weston 
Bridge by Auburn Street. If, however, the tradition of 
the Woodland Road route is correct, it is reasonable to 
suppose that Auburn Street was not at that time in so 
good a condition as that part of the Worcester Turnpike 
now known as Woodland Road. 

In 1809, the new Worcester road by the Upper Falls 
(Boylston St.) was laid out, and Woodland Road was 
practically abandoned. Mr, C. H. Johnson says that 
within his recollection there were bars across each end, 
and he and Mr. Frost both remember it as a narrow 
road, quite overgrown, hardly more than a cartpath, as 
it must have remained until the later development of the 
village. 

Joseph Bush, a carpenter, in 1690, bought from the 
first William Robinson 8 acres of land, running east 
from about the line of Maple Street, on the northern 



32 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

side of Woodland Road. Here Bush, one of the earliest 
owners of land in this settlement, built his home between 
1690-1700, about where the barn of the former "Pickard" 
house (Carpenter Hall) now stands. The old house 
which Bush built was standing in 1778, but had disap- 
peared before 1788. Lydia, daughter of Joseph Bush, 
married Deacon Thomas Greenwood, Esq., who came 
into possession of this house and also owned about 100 
acres of land between Auburn Street and Woodland 
Road extending from the Robinson farm nearly to 
Washington Street, and south of Woodland Road from 
Vista Avenue to about where Lasell Seminary now 
stands. 

Mr. Seth Davis is quoted in Smith's history as writing 
in 1847, "On that deserted portion [now Woodland 
Road] west of Mr. Stimpson's house * * * was the 
house of Mr. Thomas Greenwood, who for many years 
held the office of Town Clerk, and in his day was the 
main personage for tying connubial knots." Greenwood 
was, according to Jackson, Captain, Deacon of the First 
Church, Justice of the Peace, Selectman for four years, 
Representative for thirteen years, and Town Clerk for 
twenty-three years. Of the family relations of Deacon 
Thomas Greenwood, we get a glimpse in the following 
quaintly worded and unpunctuated document: 

"To all People to whom these presents shall 
come Greeting Know ye that we Thomas Green- 
wood of Newton in the county of Middlesex in his 
Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay In 
New England yeoman and Lydia his Wife for and 
in Consideration of that Love and good will and 
aflFection which we have and do bear to our Loving 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 33 

Son John Greenwod of Newton aforesaid and for 
divers other good Causes and Considerations us 
parents moving Have given granted Conveyed and 
Confirmed and by these presents do hereby fully and 
absolutely give grant and Convey and Confirm unto 
him the said John Greenwood and to his heirs and 
assigns forever the North Easterly end of our dwell- 
ing house and the Cellar under it with convenient 
yard and room about the said part of the dwelling 
house with the Liberty and privileges of making 
Use of the Well for drawing Water and of passing 
and repassing to and from said Well from Time to 
Time as there may be occasion and also the Liberty 
and privilege of passing and repassing both to and 
from said part of the dwelling house in the now 
pass way through the Orchard to a Range Way with 
a Team and Cart or other Carriage loden or unloden 
and with any other Creatures or things from Time 
to Time and at all Times as there shall or may be 
occasion and also a Certain Tract or parcel of land 
being Upland and Meadow Land." The boundaries 
of the land follow. 

After the death of Greenwood, his holdings, together 
with some land north of Auburn Street, were acquired 
by Alexander Shepard, Jr., who married the widow of 
Deacon Thomas Greenwood's son, John. The "Crafts" 
house, (recently torn down), of which the cellar still 
remains on Auburn Street near the corner of Greenough, 
was built by Alexander Shepard, Jr. in 1768-9. Like his 
distinguished father, he served on several important com- 
mittees of the Town during Revolutionary days. In 
1778 he was one of those who organized the West Parish 



THE PIONEER PERIOD 55 

of Newton, and was chosen Clerk of the Parish and a 
member of the Standing Committee, besides serving in 
other capacities. As a surveyor, he was employed by the 
Government of Massachusetts to survey public lands in 
Maine. He obtained a large grant of these lands for his 
services, which was called Shepardsfield, now Hebron, 
and later went there to live with several other Newton 
men. 

During the first part of the 18th century, the main por- 
tion of Auburndale, was divided among only four per- 
sons, — William Robinson, the second ; Joseph Bush, 
whose lands became part of Thomas Greenwood's farm ; 
Benjamin Child ; and Jonathan Williams ; while at the 
end of the 18th century, the greater part of Auburndale 
was owned by seven persons, — Weld, about 94 acres ; 
Seaverns, 80 acres; Pigeon, 150 acres; Star, 80 acres; 
Shepard, 175 acres; Durell, 65 acres; and Stimson, 100 
acres. 

Very few of the property lines existing before 1800 
remain today. Since then the land has been so con- 
solidated and redivided that in most cases all trace of 
these lines on the ground has been utterly lost. A few 
boundaries, however, have persisted through all this 
period, and still divide adjoining properties. One of 
these ancient lines is that which separated the John and 
William Robinson, 3rd, parcels, and now separates the 
estates on Woodbine Street from those on Ash Street. 
Others are the line between the Ware estate and the 
premises numbered 2163 Commonwealth Avenue; the 
southerly line of the lots on the southerly side of West 
Pine Street; and the line separating the estates on the 



36 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

south side of Aspen Avenue from the property next 
south. 

From such fragmentary facts and half-hidden traces 
of pioneer hfe each one must construct his historic pic- 
ture of this period, piecing together bits, supplying color 
and detail, and placing against a background of larger 
history the local sketch, incomplete, but not lacking in 
elements of romance, hardihood and even heroism. 

AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 

The villages at the Lower and Upper Falls early de- 
veloped as industrial centers but along its northwestern 
stretches, the Charles afforded no water power. Instead, 
it flowed quietly between low-wooded hills near which 
occasional cultivated fields and clearings showed white 
farm houses, either close to the few highways or con- 
nected with them by short private ways ; and Auburndale 
was simply a section of that westerly part of Newton 
which was so remote that Alexander Shepard wrote 
apologetically of belonging to it. 

During the period from 1800-1846, Auburndale must 
have remained much the same sort of community. 
Hardly a new house was built during those years ; but 
from 1846-1848, there seems to have been a sort of simul- 
taneous impulse toward the development of land in this 
region. In the Mirror of Newton, Mr. A. P. Walker 
says, "The power loom made Newton a manufacturing 
town, the steam locomotive made her a garden of subur- 
ban homes," and Auburndale was destined to develop as 
a village of country homes and an out-of-door play- 
ground, rather than as a center of industrial life. 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 37 

Mr. Charles du Maresque Pigeon, grandson of John 
Pigeon, the patriot of Revolutionary days, retained in 
middle life a strong sentiment for the home of his father 
and grandfather, which had in later years become the Poor 
Farm of Newton. At that time Dr. Lyman Gilbert, 
(who afterward lived in the ''Underwood" house, No. 
1899 Commonwealth Ave., then facing Auburn St.), 
was pastor of the church in West Newton, which, pre- 
vious to 1850, all the Auburndale population attended. 
In Smith's History, the following account of the begin- 
nings of the village of Auburndale is quoted from Dr. 
Gilbert : 

"Rev. Charles du M. Pigeon used to refer to it [the 
Poor Farm] as his father's home. On one of my horse- 
back rides to Newton Center, I stopped at his boarding 
place (the Boarding House of the Female Academy) 
and met him on the doorsteps. In some conversation, I 
incidentally said to him, that if a man had a little money 
to invest, he might do well to purchase land at Hull's 
Crossing, since Newtonville. It could be bought very 
cheap, and must eventually be valuable. He said he did 
not like to see ministers engaged in speculation, but he 
must do something. Some days afterwards, he called at 
my house, and said my suggestion had set him to think- 
ing ; and that he had also been up to his father's old farm, 
and examined the situation. He loved the old spot. 
Might it be made the nucleus of a thriving village? He 
asked if I thought the Boston and Worcester Railroad 
Corporation could be induced to give them a Depot? I 
replied, 'Yes, get six men who are desirous of going to 
Boston every day, and you can have a depot at once.' 
It was done." 



38 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

The earliest deeds of this period were to Rev. Mr'. 
Pigeon in 1846, and to Mr. J. L. Partridge, who bought 
land as early as 1847. Mr. Pigeon's largest purchase 
embraced what is now known as Riverside. It was a 
tract of land between the river, Auburn Street, and the 
railroad, running up as far as Woodland Road bridge. 
Here he built his first house (No. 166 Evergreen Ave- 
nue) on a knoll above the river, at the head of Evergreen 
Avenue, which he laid out and planted with trees. Two 
other similar houses, overlooking Charles Street, were 
built on the same ridge by Mr. Pigeon in 1862 or '63, 
and the hill is still known as Pigeon Hill. 

Other tracts were bought and sold again, for Mr. 
Pigeon was certainly a land promotor, but the Riverside 
land he himself developed, and made his home. A 
smaller parcel east of Grove Street, and running from 
Auburn Street up toward Groveland Street, he sold in 
house lots, and there he also planted evergreen trees 
which can still be seen back of Miss Little's house (No. 
220 Auburn St.) and beside Mrs. Kelly's (No. 91 Central 
St.). 

Mr. Partridge bought land from Nathan Crafts who 
had purchased much of the Shepard property in the '30's. 

Rev. J. E. Woodbridge, like Mr. Pigeon, a minister, 
became interested in Auburndale. Pigeon and Wood- 
bridge together invested in land along both sides of Han- 
cock Street extending to the river. The south portion 
was sold to Mr. J. J. Walworth, while the north part was 
developed by Mr. Woodbridge. 

Mr. Charles H. Johnson writes of his father, Mr. 
Abijah S. Johnson, "He was the man who more than any 
other person was concerned in the start and early growth 



40 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

of Auburndale. He commenced in Boston as builder and 
real estate operator. He built about 200 dwellings in 
Boston, was quite successful, making a large fortune for 
those days. Then came one of those oft-recurring panics 
which put to grief all kinds of business. It did not over- 
look him, but wiped out the fortune he had been years 
acquiring, leaving him with 46 buildings, and no sale for 
them. To begin over again was the only thing to do. 
He was successful the second time, and having a family 
of eight children, he thought the country was a better 
place than the city to bring them up; and meeting Mr. 
William Jackson, who was largely interested in Auburn- 
dale, he was prevailed to acquire about 40 acres of land 
running south from the railroad, and in 1847, he built 
the house which is now called the Lasell Inn." 

Mr. Johnson began laying out streets and building 
houses first along Grove Street from Auburn Street to 
Woodland Road, then from there to Maple Street, and 
back to Auburn. He also owned a big tract of land the 
other side of Woodland Road. 

It has been said, "Johnson, Pigeon, Partridge and 
Woodbridge were the great speculators and land dealers 
and 'boomers' of the new village." 

May 5, 1847, is the date of the deed of trust of the 
North Auburn Dale Land Company, under which the 
Hon. William Jackson, of a well-known Newton family, 
was trustee. This Company bought up the Poor Farm; 
lands as far as the river, the easterly end of the Ware 
farm and land north of Auburn Street toward Common- 
wealth Avenue. 

The name "Pigeonville" would have been a logical one 
for Auburndale, but as Mr. Sweetser, in King's Hand- 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 41 

book, points out "happier counsels prevailed." The same 
authority quotes from Dr. J. C. D. Pigeon of Roxbury, 
"While my father [Rev. C. D. Pigeon] was in Harvard 
(class of 1818), his favorite resort during leisure hours 
was Mt. Auburn ; and he soon noticed a similarity be- 
tween those hills and the shady slopes of his native place. 
When he first came into possession of the land where 
Auburndale stands, he wrote of it as 'Sweet Auburn' ; 
but feeling bound to recognize the not inconsiderable 
proportion of valley, he modified the name in various 
ways, finally fixing upon the name as it now is." Mt..- 
Pigeon's expression of two words "Auburn Dale" was 
the form the name took up to the year 1850. 

Mr. Charles H, Johnson writes that at the time he came 
to Auburndale in 1847, the only inhabitants were "the 
Bourne family, Mr. Ware, a farmer, and the Washburn 
family. * * * A few months later, Mr. Partridge moved 
into the house he built, the one now occupied by Dr. God- 
frey (No. 14 Hancock St.). About this time, 1848, 
Mr. C. C. Burr, who was boarding in West Newton, came 
to live with Mr. Partridge." Mr. Burr and Mr. Partridge 
were always close friends, and both were prominent in 
church and village. Mr. Burr was one of the organizers 
of the Congregational Church, deacon, clerk, and treas- 
urer for nearly fifty years. For twenty-four years, he 
was a member of the Prudential Committee of the Amer- 
ican Board of Foreign Missions, a man universally loved 
in the village whose life he strongly influenced. While 
his own house was being built, Mr. Burr's family boarded 
at a small house at the foot of Ware Lane (No. 2163 Com- 
monwealth Ave.), and then in 1852, moved into the 
house which with its beautiful trees and spacious grounds 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 43 

Still speaks of him, and is the home of his daughter, Miss 
Lucy W. Burr (No. 42 Hancock Street). Deacon Burr 
was one of the nine men to sign the guarantee bond to 
enable the Selectmen and the town treasurer of Newton 
to fill the town's quota of recruits in advance of any call 
that might be made by President Lincoln. 

One of the earliest houses was built by Rev. Jonathan 
E. Woodbridge, on the southeast corner of Hancock 
Street and Woodland Road, now the Lasell Dormitory on 
Hawthorne Avenue (No. 39). In 1854 Mr. Woodbridge 
became associated with Mr, A. F. Hildreth at the River- 
side Academy, and later had a boys' school at his own 
home. 

Dr. Alexander McKenzie of Cambridge gave this pic- 
ture of Auburndale, in an address delivered in the Con- 
gregational Church in 1900: 

"It was in 1852, — I was a merchant's clerk on Milk 
Street, Boston, somewhat troubled with my eyes, and the 
oculist, who was Dr. Dix, told me to go into the country. 
I met on Washington Street one day a man whom I 
knew, who said 'Come to Auburndale, that is where I 
am living.' Some of you may remember that man as 
Fred Church, so we used to call him. I came to Auburn- 
dale, to the family of Mr. Woodbridge, just across the 
street. The atmosphere of the house was that of a cheer- 
ful, natural piety. We used to repeat passages from the 
Bible at the table and in the drawing room. * * * So 
things went on until one day Mr. Woodbridge said to me, 
'We think you ought to study for the ministry.' It had 
been the desire of my heart from my youth up. I said, 
'I am too old, and I have not money enough.' Mr. Wood- 
bridge replied, 'You are not too old, and you have money 



44 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

enough.' Under his persuasion, under his direction, I 
decided to leave business, and go to college on my way to 
the ministry. 

* * * The days of that earlier time were certainly full 
of delight. We were still in the woods here. I remember 
the families very well. There were the Woodbridges and 
the Worcesters, and up the street were the Hardings, and 
along the road Mr. Barrett, and the Alcotts, and good, 
saintly Mr. Burr, always the same, and then the Par- 
tridges and the Pigeons and the Johnsons and others of 
that character. * * * We used to go down the street, 
across the railroad track, to a hall, and upstairs we had 
our Sunday service. * * * The ministers who lived in 
the town used to do the preaching. * * * I think the man 
that preached most was Mr. Wheeler. He had a truly 
ecclesiastical name, — Melancthon Wheeler, a man with 
such a name had to be a minister." 

Mr. Wheeler came here about the same time that Mr. 
McKenzie did, and lived on the corner of Woodland 
Road and Hawthorne Avenue, the house lately occupied 
by Mr. Parker Fiske (No. 173 Woodland Road). 

In 1849 Rev. Isaac R. Worcester, district secretary of 
the American Board, was added to the ministerial popu- 
lation of the village. His home was in the present David- 
son house (No. 59 Woodland Road). Mr. Worcester 
was editor of the Missionary Herald for nearly twenty- 
five years, a fine type of man, whom Mr. H. J. Patrick 
described as "grave in countenance wise in counsel, and 
genial in intercourse." At the missionary concerts, his 
story of as yet unpublished news from the foreign field 
was eagerly listened to by all. One boy said, "It is as 
good as a story book to hear Mr. Worcester talk." 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 45 

Rev. Sewall Harding, father of Mrs. Eliza Walker, 
who founded the Missionary Home, early settled in Au- 
burndale, acquiring land that his son had bought and 
other land south of Woodland Road. His first house was 
for a long time occupied by the family of Thomas S. Wil- 
liams (for whom the Williams School was named), and 
is now the Seminary Bancroft House (No. 161 Grove 
St.). Mr. Harding is described as a man "short in 
stature, with a smiling face, and pleasant word, sound in 
doctrine, and watchful of any laxity in the faith of the 
church." He is also spoken of as having a "fine head for 
real estate" ; so Mr. Pigeon and Mr. Woodbridge were 
not the only ministers with a leaning in that direction. 

The name "Saints' Rest" was early applied to the 
village by the "light-minded." King's Handbook informs 
us, and enough has already been said to show that from 
the start Auburndale was a refuge for retired ministers ; 
and that those who could not write "Reverend" before 
their names could usually write "Deacon," or were in 
some way identified with the church. The following list 
of clergymen does not claim to be complete, and includes 
only those who were not regular pastors, and who came 
here before 1870, yet it is impressively, almost appallingly, 
long: — Rev. Charles D. Pigeon, Rev. Sewall Harding, 
Rev. Jonathan E. Woodbridge, Rev. Isaac R. Worcester, 
Rev. Edward Lasell, Rev. Melancthon G. Wheeler, Rev. 
George F. Walker, Rev. James Means, Rev. William 
Penn Alcott, Rev. Milton P. Braman, Rev. William 
Tyler, Rev. Solomon Adams. 

To turn from ministerial land transactions to those of 
the laity, Mr. Arthur C. Walworth of Newton Centre 
gives this extract from a letter written by his father. 



46 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

J. J. Walworth, to his uncle, March 29, 1847. "I have 
lately been buying a quantity of land in the neighbor- 
hood of the city for a future residence upon which I 
expect shortly to have to pay $2000 or more. This I 
should not have done had not a rare opportunity offered 
by which I get a beautiful place at half of what it is 
really worth. So that I have purchased 70 acres of 
land in Auburndale (West Newton), 10 miles from the 
city by the Worcester R, R., at $100 an acre, which I 
would not sell for $200. My influence was considered 
important in giving a start to the new village about to 
be started there, so that I was enabled in the incipient 
stage of the movement to get my land almost at my own 
price." 

The Walworth place, torn down not long ago, stood 
on the hill about where Maple Road joins Central 
Street ; but was reached in 1849 by a driveway which 
turned in from Hancock Street, as now, near the house of 
Mr. A. W. Lane (No. 7 WilHston Road), at that time 
the lodge to the Walworth estate. Mrs. Oliphant, a 
famous singer, occupied the Walworth house at one 
time, and it was then the centre of the musical life of 
the village. Afterwards, Captain C. E. Ranlett's family 
lived there, and still later Mr. E. E. Hardy's. 

Below the hill, on what was then Woodland Avenue, 
was the house of Ebenezer Bradbury, now occupied by 
the family of Mr. Charles A. J. Smith (No. 33 Wood- 
land Road), lately known as the "Strongman" house. 
Mr. Bradbury was the father of twenty-one children, 
and the effect when at church he ushered his family into 
one pew, gravely started on another and filled that (all 
with Bradburys) was very amusing. Sometimes Mr. 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 47 

Bradbury himself would have to enter a third pew. 
The Bradbury apple orchard used to be a great tempta- 
tion to the boys cutting across from Riverside over the 
fields to church, we are told ; but we wonder that the 
Bradbury children left any apples to be picked. 

Passing the Bradbury's tempting fruit, on a fall day 
of 1849, and Mr. Worcester's substantial and inviting 
home, one would have seen nothing but trees on that 
side of the street beyond Mr. Woodbridge's house. 
But on the other side, opposite the then vacant site of 
Lasell Seminary, was a house which, though at the 
present time filled with Lasell girls (the Wagner house, 
No. 120 Woodland Road), was once devoted to boys; 
for Mr. F. H. Weld, who lived here, ran a boys' school 
in the village, for a short time. Afterwards, this was 
the home of Deacon Samuel Barrett, a South Boston 
school teacher, who had very attractive daughters. 
From the old residents who were then the "boys" of 
Auburndale, we hear of the "Worcester girls" and the 
Fairbanks sisters who boarded with them, but more 
than any, of the "Barrett girls," who were evidently 
lively as well as pretty. 

Dr. William A. Alcott, cousin of Amos Bronson Al- 
cott, lecturer and writer, lived in the next house, near 
the corner of Maple Street, now moved to Maple Ter- 
race (No. 23). He was the author of more than a hun- 
dred books, "The Young Man's Guide," "The Young 
Husband," and similar books of counsel and instruction. 
King's Handbook says, "His avowed object in life was 
the prevention of vice, disease and poverty, but up to 
the time of his death, it remained unfulfilled." 

A near neighbor of Dr. Alcott's on Linden Road, now 



48 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Grove Street (No. 74), was Mr. Charles A. Sweet, who 
came here in the early fifties, and boarded at the 
"Briggs" house. He evidently felt the atmosphere of 
the village to be congenial, for he soon settled here per- 
manently, buying the house now occupied by his son, 
and became an ardent supporter of the Auburndale Con- 
gregational Church in its infancy. The church clock 
was his especial charge. He would let no one else touch 
it, and every Sunday would go early to the church to 
wind the clock himself. It has been written of him, 
"Few came to church too early to find him there * * ♦ 
ever with a welcome to familiar faces, and a tact that 
made strangers feel at home." Mr. Sweet was of the 
banking house of Brewster, Sweet and Company, who 
during the Civil War were prominent in placing govern- 
ment loans throughout New England, 

One other house built in the earliest period of the 
village, as such, stood at the corner of Auburn and Maple 
Streets. In '55, this was the home of S. A, Danforth, 
whose daughters have until recently lived there, and 
who are still supporters of the good works of the church 
they early joined. 

Turning back to "North Auburn Dale" once more, 
which the Land Company was developing, we find that 
before that date Martin Collier had in 1844 set up his 
household gods on the very spot where the pioneer 
William Robinson was living in 1678, and where 
the house of Mr. Hanson had recently been burned. 
Except for the village hall no building stood 
on either side of the narrow road leading to 
the Collier place. What is now Freeman Street was 
then a narrow grass-grown lane leading through a 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 49 

thicket of young woods. Mr. Collier furnished supplies 
to the Navy Yard. He was a Roman Catholic of a 
very broad type, one of the organizers of the Educa- 
tional Association for the "promotion of schools and 
public worship." He was the first to sign the resolution 
that such an association be formed, and served as its 
treasurer; after the Congregational Church was organ- 
ized, opening his house for meetings of the Sewing 
Circle. 

Of the houses built in colonial days, the Bourne and 
Ware families occupied in 1847 those still known by 
their names. The "John Burr" house was, a little later, 
the home of Benajah Cross, the first leader of the 
church choir, and afterwards of Mr. William Whit- 
tlesey; and Mr. Joshua Washburn's family lived in the 
"old" Washburn house. Young ladies from the West 
Newton (afterwards the Framingham) Normal School 
boarded there, and probably traded at the village store 
which was kept by Mr. Washburn at this period (on the 
northwest corner of Lexington and Auburn Sts.). 

If we had walked down the River Street of those 
days from Auburn Street toward the river, we would 
have come to a house on the left hand side which is the 
one Mr. Charles W. Robinson speaks of purchasing, in 
his Reminiscences (No. 62 Ash St., the home of 
Henry B. Fowle). A long stretch of road would have 
brought us finally to another house, set among the trees, 
that of Henry Mills, one of the first deacons of the 
church. For some time this house was the home of Dr. 
Edward Strong, and was later bought by the Rider 
family (No. 36 Islington Road). 

Further up the river, lay Mr. Pigeon's Riverside in- 



50 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

vestment. In 1853 Mr. Abel F. Hildreth bought land 
from C. D. Pigeon, and established a boys' school at 
Riverside. Mr. Hildreth was a classmate of Mr. Pigeon's, 
at Harvard, and possessing a fine tenor voice was leader 
of the College Choir. When he came to Auburndale, he 
had been for twenty-seven years head of the Pinkerton 
Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. He built two 
dwelling houses at Riverside, the present J. R. Robert- 
son house (No. 126 Charles St.), and the house 
where Mrs. Esther M. Jones and Miss Annie Hinckley 
now live (No. 79 Charles St.). At the same time, a 
small school house was built, superseded in 1854, when 
Mr. J. E. Woodbridge became associated with Mr, Hil- 
dreth, by a more roomy school building called the "River- 
side Academy." This was a large red house, burned 
not long ago. 

To give an idea of woman's part in the village life 
one cannot do better than to quote from a paper by Mrs. 
C. C. Burr, read at the semi-centennial celebration of the 
Congregational Church : 

"In the good old days of Auburndale's beginnings, the 
voice of woman was rarely heard in the land, outside her 
home, or the quiet of simple church functions. Women's 
clubs had no existence, and the D. R.'s and the D. A. 
R.'s recounted the deeds of their ancestors only by their 
own firesides. * * * In the New England villages, the 
life of the place — social and intellectual, as well as re- 
ligious — centered in the church. It is related of Pro- 
fessor Park, that many years ago he consulted a physi- 
cian in Paris, who after making a careful examination 
of his case said : 



AUBURN DALE IN THE FORTIES 51 

'What you need is more recreation — you must go to 
the theatre or opera.' 

'But,' repHed the professor, 'we have no theatre or 
opera where I Hve.' 

'Where do you live?' 

'In Andover.' * * * 

'And what do you have for amusement in Andover?' 

'Sewing societies.' 

"And so, in orthodox New England fashion, the 
women of Auburndale (two months after the formation 
of the church), gathered in the brown house on the 
corner of Hancock and Central Streets, occupied by Mr. 
Partridge, and organized a 'Sewing Society.' " 

There was but one church at this time we must recol- 
lect, and it was a community affair. 

"The needs and the object of the Sewing Society are 
quaintly set forth in the Constitution, which was drawn 
up by Mrs. Sewall Harding, and reads thus : — 

'We, the undersigned, feeling the importance of aiding 
some of the benevolent objects of the day, and of the 
cultivation of our social feelings, and of the improve- 
ment of our minds by reading, do adopt for our Consti- 
tution the following articles : — 

Art. I. This association shall be called the Benevolent 
Social Society of Auburndale — ' (Afterwards amended 
to The Ladies' Benevolent Society.) 

"Other articles define the number of officers and their 
duties, the fee of twenty-five cents admission, and four 
cents additional at every meeting, present or absent, the 
time of meeting and the admonition that in order to 
accomplish the objects of the society, 'the entertain- 
ments shall be plain and simple.' " 



52 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

In regard to these simple entertainments Mr. H. G. 
Hildreth, who attended them, says: "The Sewing So- 
ciety met in the homes, the gentlemen being invited for 
supper, and once in a while the young people also, who 
during the evening enjoyed themselves by playing blind 
man's buff and similar games. The exercises closed by 
singing Naomi." 

To quote again from Mrs. Burr: "In the early sixties, 
we find often the record : — 'Closed with singing 
America, and prayer,' and the work which had been for 
local charities, for home missions, for foreign workers, 
was now devoted to our soldiers. Quilts, shirts, stock- 
ings, towels, etc., were sent to hospitals in Washington 
and to the Sanitary Commission. 

"January, 1862, 'met at Seminary. The evening closed 
with pleasant entertainment of tableaux, etc., provided 
by the young ladies of the Semniary. Work for the 
contrabands at Fortress Monroe, and so much interest 
manifested the ladies decided to meet once a week from 
two to six to work for soldiers.' 

"One meeting is recorded at Mr. C. C. Burr's where 45 
garments were commenced and completed, some of these 
going to Miss Phoebe A. Alcott, then working among 
the negroes at Charleston, S. C. The soldiers' needs 
gave knitting an important place in the work of the so- 
ciety, and Directress of Knitting was an office most hon- 
orably filled by Mrs. [M. P.] Braman and Mrs. [A. F.] 
Hildreth." 

The population of Auburndale grew by leaps and 
bounds, until from the occasional house of 1800, and the 



THE RAILROAD 53 

small friendly hamlet of the forties, it had in 1865, be- 
come a thriving village of nearly 700 inhabitants, and 
still continued to grow. 

Many persons of note in the religious and literary 
worlds ; and others prominent in the politics and finance 
of their day, settled in the lovely country place with its 
shady roads and neighboring river. From an embarrass- 
ment of riches we have only been able to mention the very 
earliest comers, and must omit many others, so well 
known, we hope, as to need no record here. 



THE RAILROAD 

The days before the railroad, and the days after, what 
a contrast ! Two diflFerent worlds, indeed, in Auburn- 
dale as elsewhere. And the first trains! Can we, hard- 
ened to wonders, imagine the excitement they produced! 
From a history of the Boston & Worcester Railroad by 
C. F. Adams, Smith quotes, "It was upon the Worcester 
road, and towards the latter part of March, 1834, that 
the first locomotive ever used in Massachusetts was set 
in motion. * * * 'Placed upon the track, its driver, 
who came with it from England, stepped upon the plat- 
form with almost the airs of a juggler, or a professor of 
chemistry, placed his hand upon the lever, and with a 
slight move of it, the engine started at a speed worthy 
of the companion of the "Rocket" amid the cheers of 
the multitude. It gave me such a shock, that my hair 
seemed to start from the roots, rather than to stand on 
end.' * * * On Monday, [April] 7th, we are informed 
that a locomotive ran on the railroad, for the first time. 



54 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

'as far as Davis' tavern in Newton, a distance of eight 
or nine miles, accompanied by a part of the directors and 
fifty or sixty other persons, for the purpose of making 
trial of the engine and examination of the road. * * * 
The engine travelled with ease, at the rate of twenty 
miles an hour.' The next day, a larger party went over 
the ground.' * * * It would not appear to have been a 
very successful affair ; for 'after proceeding a short dis- 
tance, their progress was interrupted by the breaking of 
a connecting rod between two of the cars, * * * and 
unfortunately a similar accident occurred three or four 
times during the excursion.' So after a short stop at 
Newton, the party came back, quite cross, apparently, 
and did not get home until half-past six in the evening." 

The following is quoted by Smith from the Directors' 
Report of June 2, 1834: "The railroad was opened for 
the conveyance of passengers between Boston and New- 
ton (the West village), a distance of 8^ miles, on the 
16th of April last. A locomotive engine has been run 
three times daily to Newton and back with from two to 
eight passenger cars each trip. The passage each way 
is usually made in about 28 minutes, an average rate of 
speed of 18 miles per hour. The passages have been 
made by the 'Meteor' engine, which was built by Mr. 
Stephenson, of England." 

The beginnings of the railroad in Auburndale date 
even earlier than the graphic account of the eye-witness 
to the trial of the first locomotive ; for in 1833 a right 
of way was conveyed by certain owners of Auburndale 
land to the railroad "as now staked out and partly 
graded for a common road and railroad," as a deed of 
April, 1833, expresses it. That part of Auburn Street 



THE RAILROAD 55 

between the station and Woodland Road originally ran 
on the south side of the railroad location, and was laid 
out on the present line about this time. 

Mrs. Caroline J. Barker of West Newton saw the first 
train which ran over the road to West Newton, and says 
that the engine looked like "an old boiler". Her grand- 
father, who was out in the fields when the train passed 
through Newtonville, seeing the locomotive approaching, 
ran, alarmed, to tell the family that "the devil was 
coming." 

Through trains to Worcester were run in 1837, and 
the first special to West Newton in 1843. How it was 
arranged by Mr. Pigeon to have a flag-stop at Auburn- 
dale has already been described. The flag station, a 
shanty about four or five feet square, put up in '47 on 
the north side of the track, stood beside a huge apple 
tree, and near it was the semaphore which had to be set 
by hand in order to induce the train to stop. Mr. C. H»: 
Johnson was the first regular passenger, on his daily 
trip from Auburndale to Boston, and had to find what 
shelter he could from wind and weather in the small 
shanty. On wintry days, the frozen arm of the sema- 
phore could not always be moved, and Mr. Johnson re- 
members standing on the track and waving his hat, 
which served very well as a signal. The brakemen had 
to stop the train with hand brakes, and were not always 
anxious to take this trouble for a solitary young man. 
Mr. Joshua Washburn bought railroad tickets, and at 
train time, would be at the flag station, ready to sell 
them at a few cents premium to those who were about to 
take the train. 

The first engines that Mr. G. H. Frost remembers had 



56 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

no cabs, and looked like "pile-driving machines" with 
"two steampipes as big around as a good-sized tea 
kettle" ; the cars he recalls as having side doors. 

From Mr. J. L. Hillard, we get an idea of the loco- 
motives of a little later period: "The engines in those 
days were all wood burners, and had large smoke stacks 
like an inverted cone. Those on the passenger trains 
were painted up in red and gilt, and made quite a gala 
appearance. They were all named instead of being 
numbered as engines are at the present time. I recall 
about all of the names now. The engine on the Lower 
Falls train was the "Comet", on the Saxonville train the 
"Fury", on the Worcester trains, "Nathan Hale" and 
"David Henshaw", on the New York express train the 
"Express" and "Despatch," and on the New York mail 
train, the "Bee". The freight engines were named for 
wild animals, mythological characters, and volcanoes, 
namely : — Elephant, Lion, Tiger, Bison, Camel, Leopard ; 
Mercury, Ajax and Hercules ; the Vesuvius, Aetna and 
Hecla. We boys knew them and their running time so 
well that we could tell the time of day by them without 
having to look at a clock." 

"The 'Fury' and the 'Comet' were wonderful engines 
to our childish ideas, although the 'Fury' was famous for 
breaking down quite often," writes Miss Annie Hinckley. 
"We went every evening to meet our father when he 
came from Boston, and many a time had a long wait for 
the 'Fury' to arrive. Often on a Saturday afternoon, 
father would come on a Worcester train which did not 
stop at our station. Then we would go halfway up 
town to meet him. That train was drawn by the 'David 
Henshaw', a very aristocratic engine, we thought, for it 



THE RAILROAD 57 

had a straight smokestack. The 'Fury' and the 'Comet' 
had the old-style fumiel shaped smokestacks. The cars 
were rather shorter than now, heated by stoves, and 
lighted by lamps." 

In 1851 a comfortable station was built by Mr. A. S. 
Johnson near the site of the present modern one but 
somewhat nearer Hancock Street, on the opposite side 
of the track from where the little flag station had stood. 
This second building still survives as Barsam's Market, 
on the corner of Ash and Auburn Streets. In the '50s it 
was a post-office as well as station, and George L. Bourne 
was postmaster and station agent. Previous to this, the 
nearest post-office had been in West Newton. The meth- 
od of distributing mail in those days was primitive. 
Strings were stretched across the inside of the window 
sash, and letters inserted against the glass, with the 
addresses so arranged that all who ran might read. Miss 
Hattie Walker tells how she and her sister used to stand 
on tiptoe trying to see the letters placed in the window, 
but, peer as they might, were not tall enough to read the 
addresses. Finally, they would have to go in and inquire 
for letters, a dreaded ordeal, as the postmaster expected 
everyone to pick out his own mail. 

From our modern, cosmopolitan minds, this simplicity 
of mail and railroad service is far removed. We have 
progressed, outwardly, at least; but with the old- 
fashioned inconveniences has gone, alas, much of the 
old-fashioned charm. 



58 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 



THE CHURCHES OF AUBURN DALE 
PRIOR TO 1870. 

Helen J. Farley. 

The life of Auburndale has so long been centered in 
and about its places of worship that the time when it 
was churchless seems very remote, almost in the dark 
ages, I was about to add, and yet, it was only in the year 
1850, on the 20th of November, that the Auburndale 
Congregational Church was organized. 

Preliminary meetings were held in the home of Mr. 
Abijah S. Johnson, one of the first promoters of 
Auburndale. 

Mr. Charles C. Burr was elected the first clerk of the 
Society, and held the office until 1873. The church 
started with forty-four members, who had worshipped 
in West Newton up to that time. The services were 
held in a hall which stood on the "brow of the hill'" 
not far from the corner of Lexington and Auburn 
Streets. This hall afterwards was used by the Episco- 
palians for a short time, and still later by the Methodist 
Society. It is interesting to note that at the Council 
called to organize the church, the query arose as to the 
need of help from the Home Missionary Society. But 
the first collection was so unexpectedly large that all 
thought of assistance was dismissed forever. The 
spirit of benevolent giving came with the founders of the 
church, and has never left it. 

The first deacons of the Congregational Church were 



THE CHURCHES 59 

Mr. Henry Mills, Mr. Joseph Lee Partridge, Mr. Sam- 
uel Barrett, Mr. Charles C. Burr, and later Mr. Charles 
W. Robinson. 

The first year the pulpit was supplied "at their con- 
venience," for the munificent sum of three hundred dol- 
lars, by the Reverends Charles D. Pigeon, Sewall Hard- 
ing, and Johnathan E. Woodbridge, and from April 
1853 to 1855, by the Reverend Melancthon G. Wheeler. 

As early as 1853 the Society authorized the purchase 
of a lot, on which to build a church. Several lots of 
land were under discussion, but it was finally decided to 
purchase the land known as the Bartlett Lot owned by 
Homer Bartlett of Lowell. 

This was done on June 15, 1853, for the sum of one 
thousand dollars and stood in the name of Joseph Lee 
Partridge (Treas.) until May 13, 1858, when the Society 
voted to "convey the deed of the lot of land on which 
the Meeting House now stands" to the Congregational 
Society. In September 1856, it was decided to erect a 
building according to plans made by Mr. Charles E. 
Parker, the father of Professor Horatio W. Parker, 
now of Yale University. On July first, a year later, the 
church was dedicated having been completed and fur- 
nished for twelve thousand dollars. 

At the same time, Mr. Edward W. Clark was installed 
as its first pastor, although he had been acting pastor 
for some months previous. He filled the pulpit until 
1861. Then the Reverend James Means supplied the 
pulpit for a year, and was followed by Rev. Augustus 
H. Carrier, who left in 1867, and was succeeded by Rev- 
erend Calvin Cutler, whose long and useful pastorate 
many of us recall. 



60 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

On the night of March 24, 1862, during a violent 
storm, "the graceful spire of the church was blown 
down upon the roof," causing serious damage to the 
building. The steeple in falling struck the slant of the 
roof, and the bell cutting a hole in the roof, fell to the 
ground. It was repaired at a cost of sixteen hundred 
dollars, during which time the Society worshipped in 
the hall of Lasell Female Seminary, through the courtesy 
of Mr. George W. Briggs, its first principal. Strange to 
say, the bell was not injured by its fall, and it still sum- 
mons to praise and prayer. It served as the Fire Alarm 
Bell for some time, but the community rejoiced when it 
no longer was used in that capacity. It was cast in the 
foundry of Henry H. Hooper in Boston, and was pur- 
chased in the autumn of 1857 for eleven hundred 
dollars, the gift of Charles C. Burr. 

The first church clock proved unsatisfactory. The 
present one was made in Worcester in 1812, and had 
done good service in the Hollis Street Church in Boston. 
After the Hollis St. Church was changed to a theatre 
its clock came to Auburndale. It has remonstrated 
several times in our remembrance, but since its last reno- 
vating has gone bravely on, ticking its life away, and 
how many other lives ! 

The activities of the church began at an early date, — 
the Ladies' Benevolent Society was organized in Jan- 
uary 1851, and the Mothers' Association in 1870. Many 
honorable names have been enrolled upon its church reg- 
ister, some of them of world-wide reputation. 

The Church of the Messiah. 

Previous to the year 1858, religious worship according 



THE CHURCHES 61 

to the ritual of the Episcopal Church was maintained in 
the Lexington Street hall. Rev. N. S. Allen was the rector. 
These services were given up in a short time, but started 
again in Village Hall, West Newton, July 16, 1871. A 
call for the meeting of "persons desirous of forming an 
Episcopal Church in West Newton" was held at the 
home of Jeremiah Allen, and on February 15, 1872, 
the Village Hall was hired as a place of worship, with 
Rev. C. S. Lester as rector. Other rectors following 
were Rev. H. W. Fay and Francis W. Smith. 

In April 1877, a vote was passed changing the name 
of the parish from the Church of the Messiah of West 
Newton, to that of West Newton and Auburndale. 
Services were held in various places under the direction 
of neighboring rectors ; but it was not until the spring of 
1880 that land was purchased from Mr. Philip Wilner 
and Mr. Charles Brown, on Auburn Street near the 
present Boulevard, and a church was commenced from 
plans made by Charles E. Parker. The old Church 
which stood on the corner of Bedford and Chauncey 
Sts., in Boston, having been taken down, the materials 
were purchased to be rebuilt into the beautiful and 
harmonious edifice now standing. 

Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church. 

It was in August 1860, that the germ of the present 
society of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church 
began to develop. 

In the home of Mr. John Mero at Riverside, weekly 
prayer meetings were held by three Methodist Church 
members. These soon developed into "neighborhood 
meetings," led by Father Deavall of Weston, assisted by 



62 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Mrs. Deavall, and Mr. and Mrs. Anthony of Waltham. 
They soon grew too large to be accommodated in a 
home, and a room in an unoccupied school building was 
obtained for the meetings. The first service in this 
room was conducted by Father Jennison of Natick on 
November fourth, and the first sermon by a Methodist 
preached by Rev. George Mansfield on November eigh- 
teenth. The audiences increased so rapidly that it was 
soon decided to begin morning services, the first one being 
on December 23, 1860. 

In four months the meetings for prayer had de- 
veloped into Class Meetings. Rev. J. E. Frost of Wal- 
tham oflfered his services for one year, and his efforts 
resulted in increased attendance and great spiritual 
uplift. A Sunday School was organized in January, 
1861, of three classes with fifteen members. 

On May twelfth of the same year, services were held 
in the larger hall on the corner of Auburn and Lexing- 
ton Streets, previously occupied by the Congregational- 
ists and Episcopalians. On January 1, 1862, a church 
was organized with twelve members, and on May 18th, 
Rev. J. Emery Round was installed as pastor, and the 
Sunday School reorganized with Mr. George L. Bourne 
was superintendent. In September, Mr. Round 
preached his farewell sermon, he having organized a 
company for the war, and been chosen its captain. Rev. 
Solomon Chapin filled the pulpit after Mr. Round's de- 
parture, until 1863. He was followed by Rev. Henry V. 
Degen for one year. 

In July, 1865, the hall in which they worshipped was 
burned to the ground, but the church was kept together by 



I 



THE CHURCHES 63 

class meetings, held at the home of Mr. George Bourne. 

A lot of land, through the liberality of Mr. Anthony 
Holbrook, the oldest member, was then secured on 
Central Street, not then laid out, and the corner stone 
was laid for the present church December 25, 1866. The 
ceremony was performed by Bishop Mallalieu, then of 
the Bromfield Street Church in Boston, assisted by Rev. 
C. W. Cushing, the principal of Lasell Seminary. The 
church was completed and dedicated on May 15, 1867, 
at which time a collection of five hundred dollars was 
given toward the indebtedness. Rev. M. Townsend of 
Watertown was secured to supply the pulpit until 1868. 
Rev. Henry Lummus followed him. 

The first Sabbath in May was remarkable for the first 
ordinance of baptism by immersion, administered in the 
Charles River to four candidates, — two young men, and 
two young ladies from the Seminary, the result of Mr. 
Lummus' remarkable success. 

Until 1872 the pulpit was supplied for the most part 
by Rev. C. W. Cushing, but in April of that year. Rev. 
T. R. Cushing took charge of the church, and the Rev. 
Daniel Steele followed him. 

The Centenary Church was indeed fortunate to have 
Mr. Eben Tourgee as director of music, and organist, 
for many years. It will be remembered that he was the 
founder of the New England Conservatory of Music 
in Boston. 

The churches of Auburndale have always had a re- 
markable influence in the community, and we trust that 
with our rapidly increasing population, they will con- 
tinue to be centres not only for spiritual but community 
life. 



I 



64 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

THE WALKER HOME FOR MISSIONARIES' 
CHILDREN. 

Condensed From an Account of Its Beginnings 
Written in Feb. 1905 

By Mrs. Eliaa H. Walker, its Founder. 

In the spring of 1867 I came to America with my four 
children, having buried my husband in Turkey, and the 
following year my father built for me the house in which 
I am now living, corner of Fern and Hancock streets, 
and I began to take boarders. 

In October of 1868 I attended the meeting of the 
Board in Norwich, Conn. The subject of the care of 
Missionary Children left in this country was discussed. 
Miss Carrie Borden had expressed her views and told 
some very telling stories of how some she knew were 
treated. 

The subject was referred to a committee, and the next 
morning, Dr. N. G. Clark reported that Mrs. Z. Stiles 
Ely of New York and Mrs. E. H. Walker of Auburndale, 
Mass., were appointed to care for the interest of Mis- 
sionary Children. 

My roommate in Norwich was Mrs. Snow of Microne- 
sia, who was just home from a 17 years' labor, having 
come a year before her husband. 

She had expected to leave her children with her mother 
in Robinson, Me., but in going about, she saw that they 
were not to have school advantages such as other children 
had, and felt that she must make better plans for them ; 
during the winter she came to see me and asked if I 



. 



THE WALKER HOME 65 

knew of any one who would give a home to her daughter 
Carrie, where she could be educated. Carrie was ten 
years old. 

My heart yearned over the child, and the subject of 
taking her myself was brewing. I thought of our beauti- 
ful public schools and our pleasant family life ; my heart 
was not at rest, I longed to be in connection with mission- 
ary work. My mother thought my health might fail if I 
undertook so much, but I did not think that it would. 

The next day, on Mrs. Snow's return, I talked with 
her very cautiously and finally said, "What would you 
think of my taking Carrie and giving her the same ad- 
vantages of home and school that I give to my own 
children?" 

She put her arms around me and exclaimed, "O Mrs. 
Walker, that is just what I wanted, but I had not the 
courage to ask it." 

Mr. Snow came home from Micronesia toward spring, 
having been wrecked on the Morning Star, and was more 
than satisfied with the arrangement that had been made 
for Carrie, but meanwhile the prospect of separating the 
two children was very painful and Mrs. Snow had writ- 
ten to me to know if any home could be found where 
Fred might attend the same school, he doing little house- 
hold chores. I tried first one and then another and 
finally four but with no success. People were interested 
in my story but could not think of taking such a responsi- 
bility. 

Finally I decided to take Fred also. And so the matter 
was talked over and finally settled to Mr. and Mrs. 
Snow's great relief. 

When Mrs. Ely heard that I had taken these children 



66 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

she was greatly pleased. She had held an intimate friend- 
ship with Mrs. Anson P. Stokes who was a neighbor. 
Mrs. Stokes' two daughters had received a large legacy 
from their grandfather. She had expressed to Mrs. Ely 
her great desire that her daughters should learn to do 
good with the money which they were receiving. 

Mrs. Ely cut out slips from the Missionary Herald, 
giving an account of the work in the Micronesia Islands 
and the subject was spread before them and they became 
exceedingly interested and Mrs. Ely told them the story 
of what I was doing. They decided that they would give 
seven dollars a week to me for the board of the children 
as long as I would keep them. 

Time went on and others heard of it, and more Mis- 
sionary children were applied for, one from China, two 
from India, whose parents were not satisfied with the 
arrangements they had made with friends for their 
children, and although my lucrative summer boarders 
were wishing to come back, at the request of Dr. N. G. 
Clark, I decided to keep only Missionary children. 

My family so increased, that I kept enlarging my house 
in order that my own children might have a place, for 
I had taken their rooms for others. Miss Carrie Borden 
furnished the rooms which I built out, which furniture 
was afterward taken up to what is now the "Missionary 
Home." 

I had a valuable helper in Mrs. Pritchett, an English 
woman, who lived with me ten years helping with the 
cooking and sewing ; and was very motherly in her care 
of the boys and girls, some of whom are now Mission- 
aries in India, Africa, Turkey and China. It was indeed 
a labor of love on her part and on mine. 



THE WALKER HOME 67 

My own children were harmonious and helpful and 
one with them both at school and at home. 

I felt that they ought to do work as they would if with 
their own parents, so had them all, boys and girls, help in 
the household work, confronting the idea that many peo- 
ple had, that Missionary children were not practical. For 
the very disagreeable duties that would come up I would 
pay them. 

More were applying for admission and this house, al- 
though enlarged a number of times, not being big enough, 
and my parents having died, I filled their house, placing 
Carrie Snow with her parents who had again returned 
to this country, and later Cornelia Williams, now Mrs. 
Chambers of Adana, Turkey, in charge of the family 
there, under my oversight. 

Then more room was required, and I thought about 
buying a certain lot, but it was suggested to me that I 
take my father's house and grounds and add to the 
building. I called an architect who drew a plan, for the 
most part satisfactory ; then I interviewed Mr. Pettigrew, 
my builder. 

I went to Mr. C. C. Burr and told him what I wanted 
to do. He wiped tears away from his eyes and said, 
"Well, Mrs. Walker, it is a blessed thing to do if you 
have the faith and courage." 

This was in 1879. I committed the whole affair into 
Mr. Pettigrew's hands to go forth and buy materials ac- 
cording to plan, and I went to the meeting of the Board 
in Syracuse, and when I returned the foundation walls 
were in sight. 

Then I commenced correspondence with individuals 
who I felt sure would help me and I was not mistaken in 



68 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

this. I placed a mortgage on the house and money came 
in response to my appeal so that I was able to pay myl 
bills. My heart was glad and I grew more and more 
•confident that I should be carried through. 

The building went on rapidly ; Mr. Pettigrew was firm 
and faithful in his friendship ; the children were helpful 
wherever they could be. The Auburndale ladies helped 
a great deal in many ways at this time, the Bourne sisters 
making all the curtains for the house. 

I had had much in mind the commencement of an en- 
dowment fund, for I felt that no one coming after me 
could raise the amounts needed for current expenses 
as I had done. 

Through the kindness of friends, a fund was started. I 
asked the Board to appoint trustees for the care of this 
money and Dr. N. G. Clark, Mr. C. C. Burr, and Mr. 
James M. Gordon were appointed. 

My purpose was as soon as money sufficient was 
raised to pay for the house to have the home deeded to the 
American Board, which was done sometime between 
1885 and 1889. 



The work begun by Mrs. Walker with so much of 
sacrifice and devotion has grown and prospered through 
the work and gifts of its friends until today there is a 
new brick Home, artistic and commodious, on the site of 
the old building which was destroyed by fire in 1912; the 
Walker Cottage Home, a beautifully remodelled house of 
twelve furnished rooms for adult and retired mission- 
aries ; and the Lodge, a furnished cottage of six rooms. 

The Home is under the supervision of Trustees and a 



THE WALKER HOME 69 

Board of Managers appointed by the American Board. 
The Trustees hold an endowment fund which, although 
inadequate, makes it possible to give the privileges of the 
Home at less than actual cost. At present the average 
number living in the three houses is fifty. 

A large number of those who as children lived at the 
Home are today active workers in the foreign field while 
their children in turn are enjoying the privileges and 
blessings of the Walker Home. 



I 



70 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

AUBURNDALE SCHOOLS. 
Jessie J. Macmillan. 

Spend an hour with the old court records and the. 
meagre early school reports which have a rich flavor 
in their ancient thought and spelling, and you will get 
a very fair account of the growth of our school system. 
John Eliot teaching the Indians in the Waban Wigwam, 
was no doubt Newton's first school ; but among the 
white population in the earliest days, there were no schools 
in Newton ; farming and pioneer work claimed all the 
attention. Even in 1693 we read, "Paid J. Fuller twenty 
shillings for killing three wolves." 

Sixty years after the first house was built, it was voted 
to have a school house ; but instead a room was hired, and 
John Staples, weaver, was to teach the boys and girls, if 
they wished, to write and cipher, for two shillings per day, 
four days per week. The fee was the same for boys and 
girls, but boys could take more studies. By 1701, there 
were two school houses. The population was increasing, 
and the school question became difficult. 

Twenty years later, the vote to grant schools in the re- 
mote parts of the town was vetoed, and excitement ran 
high, until the town fathers compromised by keeping 
school half time in the West district, and a quarter each in 
the North End districts. Samuel Miller offered a room 
free in the West section, but this was not satisfactory. 
Finally, money was voted for a school in the West district, 
and children could be sent to any of the three schools. 



SCHOOLS 71 

Winter schools were soon after inaugurated, and £16 al- 
lowed for a schoolmistress, the first in Newton, the whole 
appropriation being £50. By 1800 this was raised to 
£100, and West Newton and Auburndale's share was 
£17. About this time, the Auburn Street school was 
built, and the town divided into seven wards. 

Dwring this period, private schools were many, and 
at their best, filling any deficiency in the lack of public 
schools for those who could attend. After the graded 
system was adopted in 1852, of the 1061 pupils between 
five and fifteen years of age, but 249 were under private 
teachers, 87 per cent, attending the public schools. 

Under two elms still standing on Auburn Street at the 
corner of Curve (on the site of No. 39 Auburn 
St.) stood the first schoolhouse of our village. Here 
also came the children of West Newton in that vicinity, 
and some from the Lower Falls also. The school house 
was a plain frame building, painted white, 20 x 25 feet. 
A small door led into a narrow entry piled high 
at one end with two-foot logs of wood, inci- 
dentally a place for caps and coats, with an entrance 
to the school near the other end. On either side of the 
room were rows of strong board benches and desks 
facing each other, for sturdy boys and girls. The floor 
slanted downwards on each side toward the center, 
where the none too wide space was level. In the middle 
was the stove, beside which the classes stood, arranging 
themselves as best they could in order to be seen by the 
master, whose desk stood at the end. 

There were two school sessions. The winter one 
was from November to April, when the school was full 
— large boys, almost grown men, attending, with a 




Courtesy of Mr. A. L. Goodrich. 

SITE OF THE CRAFTS HOUSE 

Built by Alexander Shepard, Jr., about 1768; and 

the Old Oak Tree under which is the well 

where the Auburn Street school 

children used to go for water. 



SCHOOLS 73 

master in charge. There was a vacation before the 
summer term, when the younger children were in evi- 
dence, with a school-mistress as teacher. From the 
school report, there was also an autumn vacation. Very 
likely all had to help in the harvesting, even children 
did their part of the work. 

The school hours were from 9 to 12 a. m., and 1 to 4 
p. m. The pupils brought their dinners, and ate them 
in the school house, or in the winter perhaps at a kindly 
neighbor's, where it was warmer. Farther up the street, 
under an ancient oak at the old Crafts place, you may 
find the site of the well where the children had to come 
for water to quench their ever-thirsty throats. If re- 
ports are true, they were not so athirst for knowledge. 
Half way between, on the other side may still be seen 
this identical first hall of learning, eking out an honor-, 
able existence as the ell of the Episcopal Rectory, — fit- 
tingly, it has been exalted one story. 

Mr. Walter Ware and his sisters attended this school, 
also Mrs. Wm. E. Plummer and two of her brothers; 
and Mr. Frost who lives on Fuller Street can tell many 
an interesting tale of the life there. Starting at the age 
of five, he remembers playing "Snap the Whip," holding 
on to one of the elm trees ; and when the telegraph poles 
were placed, with single wires, the boys ran out to see 
if they could see the letters running along the wire. 

Of the masters mentioned of this early school is a 
Mr. Wm. F. Ward, who stayed ten years, and drew some 
of the early real estate plans in Auburndale ; Brackett 
Lord, who taught Mr. Frost his multiplication table ; and 
a Mr. Whitney. The last was not so popular with the 
boys, and was pronounced to be "not worth a cent." Of 



74 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

summer teachers are named, Miss Goodhue, Miss Pen- 
niman, Miss Washburn and Miss Burt. 

Intermediate grades were planned for at this school, 
but gradually the older pupils attended the model school 
at West Newton or one of the excellent private schools 
in the vicinity. By 1850 the building was much out of 
repair, and the committee ordered it remodelled or 
closed. The Auburndale Educational Society, formed 
June 15. 1849, with J. J. Walworth, President; Martin 
Collier, Treas. ; C. C. Burr, Clerk, and J. L. Partridge, 
Auditor, took the affair into their own hands by putting 
up a building near the northeast corner of Lexington St. 
and what is now Melrose Avenue, renting the upper hall 
for religious purposes, and the two lower rooms for 
school use. 

One of the lower rooms was hired by Mr. Weld as a 
private school. At his home on Woodland Road, oppo- 
site the Seminary, he took several boys as boarders. 
The other room was used as a public school, the first 
teacher being Miss Whittlesey or "Ma'am Whittlesticks" 
as the boys called her. Mrs. Wm. E. Plummer also 
taught here as a supply. The building became known as 
the Lexington Street School, and was burned in 1865. 

With the schools in general at this time, there was 
much dissatisfaction, and Newton ranked seventeenth 
in appropriation of money, "no citizen to be willing she 
should stand lower." Here the reports of the School 
Committee are enlightening, "If discipline were carried 
to greater perfection, effect would be better." "Some 
improvement, not so much as desired." Of the grammar 
grades, "If not all hoped for, all that in reason could be 
expected" ; but in the Primary, with Miss Joslyn teacher, 



SCHOOLS 75 

the order is perfect, general tone gratifying in every re- 
spect. Of the Ash Street School in 1861, "The pupils had 
fallen into evil habits of deportment and scholarship, 
study languished and emulation slept." "Mr. 'Cephas' 
changed all this, and school is as should be. Pupils have 
self-respect and enthusiasm, order exceptional." 

Private schools were at their best, and Auburndale 
had her share. Lasell opened in 1852, and still keeps 
its popularity. Mr. A. F. Hildreth, the father of H. 
G. Hildreth, had a well equipped boys' school at River- 
side in 1853. Later Mr. J. E. Woodbridge was asso- 
ciated with him. They had a large school building with 
gymnasium in the yard, and each of the principals re- 
ceived into their families ten or twelve pupils, a fine 
class of boys from well-to-do families. The Riverside 
children were always interested in watching the boys 
go through their daily gymnastic stunts, and in their 
marching, two by two, through the streets. Later Rev. 
George F. Walker and William G. Harding were inter- 
ested in the school. They in turn sold out to Rev. 
Solomon Adams who kept a small boys' school at his 
house, the original Hildreth home, for a short time. 

The house at the corner of Hancock Street and Wood- 
land Road, iately moved, was also used as a boys' school 
by Mr. Woodbridge; and Rev. Charles W. Gushing, 
principal of Lasell, had a boys' school in the building 
now known as Lasell Inn. The model school in con- 
nection with the Normal School, and Mr. Allen's excel- 
lent school, both in West Newton, offered the best of 
advantages to the older pupils. 

From 1847 on, Auburndale was in the hands of land 
promoters. The farms were cut up into building lots, 




a 
s 



o 



SCHOOLS 17 

and the population increased rapidly. The Lexington 
Street School did not meet requirements, and much dis- 
satisfaction was expressed. In 1849 there had been a de- 
mand for a free High School, but nothing was accom- 
plished until in 1852, under the leadership of Dr. Barnas 
Sears, the Secretary of the State Board of Education, 
the district school were abolished and graded schools 
inaugurated. Dr. Henry Bigelow, a member of the com- 
mittee, consulting with no less a person than the Hon. 
Horace Mann, formerly a resident of West Newton. 
Arrangements for instruction in the higher studies were 
at that time carried out in Newton Centre ; but it wasi 
not until 1861 that the "pure High School, to be located 
at Newtonville" was established. Four girls and no boys 
graduated the first 3'ear. 

When there were seventy-five houses in the present 
limits of the village of Auburndale, in the year 1856, a 
new school building was erected on Ash Street. Even 
with better accommodations, "the larger boys were 
unruly," Mr. Hillard tells us, who was one of them ;• 
and not until Mr. Cephas Brigham, "the man of stone," 
"took charge was the school brought up to rank. In 
the diary of Rev. E. W. Clark, father of Rev. F. B. 
Clark, the entry of June 5, 1860, was on the whole un- 
favorable — "First division in Grammar, position loung- 
ing, careless when spoken to — James and Frank Hillard's 
class." That Dr. Clark singled out his acquaintances by 
which to designate the class is no reflection upon them, 
as many certificates of merit in Mr. Hillard's possession 
show. The entry continues "Second division in gram- 
mar, Mary Worcester's and Alice Gordon's class, rather 
imperfect, snapping fingers, shaking hands." "Third 



78 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

division in geography, imperfect, stand disorderly, Hen- 
ry Mero, and George Briggs." "First division in arith- 
metic, Julia Sweet's class : one part of the class in Pro- 
portion and the other part in the Roots." 

Mrs. H. G. Hildreth, who graduated at the Normal 
School after it was removed from West Newton to 
Framingham, was chosen as teacher of the intermediate 
department when the school was remodelled in 1865. 
Among her pupils were Susie Richards, now Mrs. Gore, 
and her brother Arthur ; Arthur and Henry Gordon ; 
Frederick J. Ranlett, and Arthur W. Kelly — "a lively 
lot," she reports, except the latter, whose heart she once 
troke by saying in decided tones, "Study, Arthur," when 
he was studying. The remark was really meant for 
Arthur Richards, who was perfectly willing that his 
friend should do all the studying. 

But improved methods gave improved results, and 
the next generation did creditable work both there and 
at the High School. Many of our middle aged resi- 
dents have pleasant memories of the old Ash Street 
School before the times demanded the more modern 
building, the Williams School on Hancock Street. 



LASELL SEMINARY 79 



LAS ELL SEMINARY 

Clara A. Winslow. 

Lasell Seminary for Young Women, or Lasell Female 
Semfnary, as it was called in its early days, has long 
been a prominent factor in the life of Auburndale, 

At a time when schools for girls were a rarity, Ed- 
ward Lasell, Professor of Chemistry in Williams Col- 
lege, and a frequent visitor in one of the original Au- 
burndale families, conceived the idea of such a school 
crowning the beautiful wooded slope by Woodland Ave- 
nue. There in 1851 he erected what is now the middle 
and library wing of the main building. 

He died soon after the founding of the school, but his 
work was carried on by his brother, Josiah Lasell, and 
his brother-in-law, George W. Briggs, who acted as prin- 
cipals for about ten years. 

The following are extracts from the first catalog, 
which was published in 1853 : 

"This institution is located in the beautiful village of 
Auburndale, West Newton, Mass., on the line of the 
Worcester Railroad, ten miles from Boston and within 
eight hours ride of the cities of New York and Albany. 
Being situated upon a commanding elevation, it takes 
in an extended view of the environs of Boston, which 
are unrivalled in the beauty and variety of their 
scenery." 

"Young ladies in all their social relations are put upon 
their own good sense, and when that fails them, they 
are counselled by the appropriate teachers." 



80 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

"Pupils are required to attend church twice every 
Sabbath." 

"Weekly compositions are required from all members 
of the Seminary. We aim to secure ease and propriety 
of expression." 

"Lesson in Music, Painting, Drawing and other Orna- 
mental Branches are given." 

"There is a public examination at the close of each 
session, continuing two days." 

"Young ladies must come here for purposes of study 
and not for eating and drinking. Young ladies will not 
be allowed to eat confectionery." 

"In bad weather the Seminary carriage will be in 
readiness to convey pupils to and from the depot." The 
carriage referred to was called by the pupils the "black 
Maria", and was the conveyance which took them to 
meeting at West Newton before the time of Sunday 
services in Auburndale. 

The school year extended from the middle of Sep- 
tember to the middle of July, with tuition of two hun- 
dred dollars for boarding pupils. 

Among the one hundred and nine names of students 
in the first catalog, ten were Auburndale residents. They 
were; Ellen C. Ayer, Marion Barrett, Harriet B. Hard- 
ing, Annie Johnson, Abbie S. Taft, Susan W. Wash- 
burn, Mary B. Woodbridge, Elizabeth Worcester, Isabel 
Barry, and Edith Barry. 

In the next year's catalog, the new Auburndale names 
were; Julia M. Bourne, Mary E, Bourne, Anna M. 
Bradbury, Laura Lasell, Ellen Lasell, Louise Lasell, 
Abba M. Oliphant, Lizzie M. Strong, Caroline E. Ware. 

Mrs. Flora D. Sampson of the class of 1857 writes. 



LASELL SEMINARY 81 

"The graduating exercises of the class of '56 took place 
in the West Newton Congregational Church because 
there was then no church building in the village of Au- 
burndale. During my school days we attended service 
twice a Sunday in the village hall over the only grocery 
store in the place, reached by an outside stairway. 
Week days we bought apples and pickles and other 
schoolgirl dainties of that sort, and Sundays received 
spiritual nourishment in the room above, where ordinary 
wooden settees served for sittings and a half dozen or so 
at the side of the reading desk were occupied by Lasell 
girls, of course in full sight of the whole congregation. 
It is needless to state that most exemplary behavior pre- 
vailed in that company of much stared at young women, 
several of whom were mere children. The class of 1857 
rejoiced that they were the first class to hold exercises 
in the new Auburndale Congregational Church. The 
architect of the church, Mr. C. E. Parker married Isabel 
Jennings, our class poet, and Mr. H. W. Parker, the 
well-known composer, is their son. I recall that he 
played a piano duet with his mother at one of our re- 
unions at Lasell when he was mentioned as a 'grandson* 
of that institution. 

It has always been a consoling reflection that the class 
of '57 took the then Harvard exams without being con- 
scious of the origin of the questions. Perhaps had 
they known what they were doing they might not have 
been so confident of success, or can it — can it be that the 
Harvard intellect was not really so superior as it seemed 
to us at that time ?" 

Five years after the opening of the school, lectures on 
Anatomy and Physiology, and practical work in Gym- 



82 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

nasties were introduced. The announcement of this de- 
parture is headed in the year book, "A New and Most 
Important Feature," and is followed by this statement ; 

"The general recognition manifest on every hand of 
the great importance of physical culture as an integral 
part of a true education will now justify, it is believed, 
a thorough and persistent employment of those measures 
which are soon to result in a healthy body." 

Semi-monthly "literary exercises" were held in the 
Seminary Hall to which were invited the relatives of the 
pupils and friends of the Principals, "An opportunity is 
thus afforded," states the catalog, "of observing the 
progress of the pupils in the various departments repre- 
sented, namely : Composition, Elocution, Recitations 
from the Poets, Music, French, etc. The time remain- 
ing after the close of the exercises is devoted to social 
enjoyment." 

Rev. Charles W. Cushing became principal in 1862 
and remained at the head of the school for twelve years. 
In 1865, the following statement is published : 

"We deem it fortunate that the tone of the public 
schools in and around Boston — an outgrowth of the 
educational taste of the people — demands that the Insti- 
tution be of a high character. — While we furnish the best 
of facilities for ornamental and aesthetic culture, — we 
yet wish it distinctly understood that an ornamental 
education is by no means the chief aim of the Institu- 
tion. Solid culture will be made as prominent and be 
pursued as thoroughly as in any ladies' seminary or 
college in the land. A new emergency demands that 
young ladies shall be educated so as to be able to fill 
important posts heretofore filled by the other sex; and it 



84 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

is the purpose of the Lasell Seminary to do her full 
share in this noble work." 

From the catalog of 1869-70 appears this announce- 
ment, "A most valuable Chalybeate Spring has recently 
been discovered on grounds connected with the Semi- 
nary. Dr. Hayes, of Boston, State Assayer, pronounces 
it one of the best tonic waters he has ever analyzed. 
Many young ladies have found very great benefit from 
the use of these waters." 

There was a Kindergarten Class connected with the 
Seminary ( 1874-76) upon the roll of which appear many 
familiar Auburndale names ; Benyon, Haskell, Huestis, 
Parker, Johnson, Dillingham, Sweet, Plummer, Tourjee, 
Pickard, Pulsifer, Eager, and others. 

In 1874 Mr. Charles C. Bragdon became principal. 
He introduced the now popular courses in Home 
Economics. They appeared in 1878 under the heading, 
"The New Departure," later, "The Handiwork Depart- 
ment," and "Domestic Science." The idea of incor- 
porating this branch of work into a school curriculum 
aroused much opposition and ridicule. This school was 
a noteworthy pioneer in this line. 

Dr. Bragdon was principal of the Seminary for thirty- 
four years. Under his leadership, it increased in number 
of students, in buildings, equipment, and power. 

Among the Seminary teachers of the early days are 
many well-known names, — Mrs. H. C. Oliphant, Miss 
Isabel J. Jennings, (Mrs. Charles Edward Parker), Miss 
Elizabeth S. Worcester, Rev. Henry Lummis, Miss 
Catherine Chamberlayne, Jules Luquiens, Miss Parloa, 
and Miss Caroline Carpenter. 

Notable among the early graduates was Elizabeth 



LASELL SEMINARY 85 

Gardner of the class of 1856, now Mme. Bouguereau, 
the artist. 

Lasell has been privileged to exert a wide influence, 
her students having come, and still coming, from all over 
the United States, and from many foreign countries. 
She is proud of her noble company of alumnae, nine 
hundred strong, many of whom are doing worthy work 
in the world and living up to their Commencement ad- 
monition, "Lasell Seminary sends you forth to represent 
her. You bear her name. You must protect her honor." 
Although greatly increased in size and strength over her 
beginnings, the Seminary's power still lies in her purpose 
to train young women for lives of knowledge and use- 
fulness. 



86 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

SOCIAL LIFE. 
By Nellie P. Draper. 

An old letter says, "What pleasant fellowship we had 
in the old days, when everybody knew everybody else, and 
the church held us all." The church was necessarily the 
community center, people learned to work together and 
depend on each other, and real neighborliness was the 
spirit of lovely Auburndale. Dr. Alexander McKenzie 
wrote, "Our fellowship was not merely a matter of enjoy- 
ment, it was a matter of usefulness." 

Tea parties and Sewing Circles, approved by New 
England orthodoxy, were really social dissipations. 
There were occasional home and church weddings, 
which were most festive. 

The boys of the town used to mix much more freely 
with the Lasell girls than is possible now : and as a 
great many families had boarders who were interesting 
people, the residents of the village were not wholly de- 
pendent upon themselves. 

Out of door sports were much indulged in. Long 
horse-back rides and "buggy rides" were taken over the 
charming country roads to other villages. Boating on 
the Charles offered unlimited recreation, picnics were 
frequent events, and in the winter "young men and 
maidens, old men and children" revelled in the skating, 
coasting and sleighing. What one did in the community, 
they all did together. Such wonderful woods with their 
wealth of wild flowers, the hills disclosing charming 



SOCIAL LIFE 87 

landscapes, and the winding Charles, made tramping a 
pleasure, and some such walks are described as "creating 
ardent sympathy with Nature." 

Music was an important social as well as educational 
factor in the village life — and early settlers give enthu- 
siastic accounts of informal musical evenings in which 
the amateur and the professional joined with equal zest. 

Records are preserved of two organizations which 
contributed much to the fellowship, hospitality and cul- 
ture of the neighborhood. The first one of these to be 
formed was the Auburndale Rural Club founded in 
October 1857, F. P. Shumway being the first president 
and S. A. Danforth, Secretary and Treasurer. The ob- 
ject of the Club was "to promote the planting of orna- 
mental trees on our public streets, and to encourage an 
increased and improved culture of fruits, vegetables and 
flowers." The dues were the payment of two dollars 
annually, or the planting of a shade tree on any street 
in the village. At the monthly meetings, various topics 
relating to horticulture were discussed, no member being 
allowed over two minutes for his remarks. During the 
first year, 132 trees, at a cost of $36.40, were set out. The 
annual report says, "These trees promise to add to the 
beauty and comfort of our village. If we cannot enjoy 
them, unborn generations will gaze upon the noble elms 
and beautiful maples planted by this Club, and will speak 
with gratitude and reverence of our wise forethought." 
Verily the prophecy has come true. 

The Club apparently continued its good work and 
serious discussions for several years. It is interesting to 
note a deficit of eight dollars reported at one annual 
meeting. Two motions were made and carried, one to 



88 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

subscribe for some horticultural papers, and one "to 
reduce the fees from two dollars to one dollar." A slip 
of paper in the book shows "donations from four mem- 
bers," and a balance of cash on hand of seventy-five 
cents, — a most comfortable closing of the year's records. 
The other club of which we learn was the Auburndale 
Book Club, founded in the early sixties with 17 members, 
— well-known men of the community. A catalogue pub- 
lished a year later shows a list of 150 books with a 
variety of titles. A book might be kept six days before 
being passed to the next member in order on the printed 
list. "A fine of five cents per day for neglect in doing 
this and a ten-cent fine for not writing in the date when' 
received and delivered." A discussion or debate was 
carried on at each meeting. The following are some of 
the subjects: "The Unity of the Human Races," "Do 
Animals Think?", "Is There an Intermediate State," 
"Are Amusements on the whole Beneficial," "Should the 
Chinese be permitted to erect Idol Temples in this 
Country?", and "Will it be for the General Good to 
Invest Women with the Right of Suflfrage?". This lat- 
ter was seriously discussed, as were all the subjects ap- 
parently. It was the "almost unanimous opinion that 
such a measure would fail to promote the welfare of 
woman or the general good of society, while it would be 
likely to become a fruitful source of domestic and social 
discord, and impose new duties and responsibilities upon 
those whose time and strength are sufficiently employed 
in the discharge of the duties which woman alone can 
perform." Oh learned judges ! Concluding this record, 
appears the following, "But when the discussion was 
turned by invitation of the ladies to the sumptuous colla- 



SOCIAL LIFE 89 

tion provided, our able debaters, before whose eloquence 
all opposing obstacles vanish, found themselves wholly 
inadequate to the occasion, and at once capitulated to the 
generous hospitalities brought upon them." 

In 1879 the books remaining in the hands of the sur- 
viving members were presented to the Newton Library, 
and cordially acknowledged. 

"Know your own Community" may seem to be a 
slogan of the present day, — the people of early Auburn- 
dale did not need it. They shared each other's thoughts, 
their joys and sorrows, they worked together for the 
good of all ; and with more houses, and larger, broader 
interests, we can do no better than to emulate their 
example, and love our neighbors as ourselves. 



90 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 



REMINISCENCES. 

Mr. Charles H. Johnson. 

In the early days, we attended the church at West 
Newton, using the railroad track as a footpath, the 
road being either muddy or dusty. We could do this 
as there were very few trains on a Sunday. The min- 
isters of the village officiated at the Sunday services. It 
was no burden for them, as there were twenty or more 
of them residents here at a time. We could not find 
fault with the sermons, as their services were gratu- 
itous, but there was no Beecher among them. So many 
of the clergy among us, it was a grand opportunity for 
the fathers to point to them as patterns for the boys to 
copy. We found that the professors were not all saints, 
nor the non-professors all rascals. The former may 
have had a more perfect control over their temptations, 
but they were all of the same material. After being 
reproved by my father for smoking, I met one of the 
clergy walking through the woods to Wellesley to 
preach the afternoon sermon. I noticed he carried his 
arm rather awkwardly, and having the curiosity to look 
around, saw the smoke puffing out the side of his face 
in clouds ; and boy-like, I lighted a cigar, went home, 
and received the same reproof and the same reference 
to the Reverend as an example. I told my father what 
I had seen. He wouldn't doubt my word, but looked 
mighty surprised. He told the Reverend, who admitted 



REMINISCENCES 91 

the truth, and said it was because of water on the stom- 
ach. I don't know the effect of his treatment, but am 
confident no doctor ever prescribed it. 

There were some quaint people among the early set- 
tlers. One, Dr. William Alcott, who built on the lot 
now occupied by Dr. Peloubet and Mrs. Van Wagenen, 
a tatt, gaunt man, you would most any day find work- 
ing in his garden, bareheaded and barefooted, always 
ready for a chat, quite a philosopher, author of "The 
House I Live In". He had very decided ideas regard- 
ing food, dress, and the way to live, and no matter what 
the occasion or the topic, he always drifted into that 
line of talk on Friday nights, or elsewhere. 

Another Reverend was short, thick and stout, his 
stomach was built so it rounded out, a quiet amiable 
gentleman, a bachelor till well along in life when he 
took for a wife a lady lovely in looks and character., 
One morning he was met coming out of the station, 
tears in his eyes. When asked if he was in trouble, he, 
replied, "I was thinking what a fool I had been to re- 
main single so long." 

* * * 

The music of the Congregational Church was 
quite a feature. Mrs. Oliphant was a member of the 
Woodman family, noted for their musical acquirements. 
Mrs. Oliphant, as Hannah Woodman, was the leading 
soprano in Lowell Mason's famous choir at the Bow- 
doin Street Church. Her sister Abby was equally good 
as a contralto. Mr. Page was vocal teacher at the Sem- 
inary. He was a fine English tenor, taking the tenor 
solos in oratorios given by the Musical Education So- 
ciety. The bass was a Mr. Eaton, resident of Auburn- 



92 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

dale, and competent to help make a quartet second to 
none. Mr. Josiah Lasell sat at the organ. There was 
a small chorus drilled by Mrs. Oliphant at her home, al- 
though Mr. Cross was nominally chorister; but she was 
the leading spirit, and it was safe to say there was not 
its equal in any Boston church at that time. Another 
of the Woodman girls married George F. Root, who 
afterwards held the same position in Chicago that Oliv- 
er Ditson did in Boston. At one time, Mrs. Root made 
a visit to her sister in Auburndale, and while here the 
three sisters sang the trio from Elijah, It was a revela- 
tion to the old people who had never heard an oratorio. 
The Oliphants lived in the house afterwards occupied 
by Mr. Edward E. Hardy. At one of the rehearsals at 
her house, she cut it short with the remark, "We will 
now have some flute music from Mr. Johnson and his 
friends". At that time, Mr. Parker, Mr. Hager of Low- 
er Falls, and Mr. Johnson amused themselves by play- 
ing music written for three flutes. Of course I inform- 
ed her that we did not carry our flutes and music with 
us. She said nothing, but went out of the room return- 
ing with the music and the three flutes. We performed, 
but it is needless to say we were never asked to repeat 

the performance. 

* * * 

The Briggs house, rebuilt by Mr. Johnson, was leased 
to two ladies Gardner, who kept a genteel boarding 
house in Summer Street, Boston. Their boarders came 
to Auburndale and spent the summer. Among them 
was a Mr. Chandler, proprietor and editor of the Bos- 
ton Advertiser; Rev. Dr. Sharp, the Baptist minister on 
Charles Street, Boston ; his son, John Sharp, and fam- 



REMINISCENCES 93 

ily; and Peter Harvey, called the confidential adviser 
of Daniel Webster, who generally carried a check of 
Peter's in his pocket. 

Mr. Arthur C. Wahvorth. 

IrT 1849 we boarded at Mrs. Whittlesey's, the many- 
gabled house north of the station, corner of Melrose 
St. (Now known as the "Briggs" house.) The "depot" 
was simply a six by eight shack with a semaphore which 
passengers wishing to take a train would set for them- 
selves. There was but one train, called then the "spe- 
cial," which ran back and forth between Newton Lower 
Falls and Boston. The conductor was Stephen Cate, a 
rather short fat man who always wore a tall hat. If 
there was a passenger for Auburndale on an outward 
trip, he would call to the engineer from the platform at 
West Newton, "Stop at Auburndale" or "Stop at Pine 
Grove." I remember on one Fourth of July seeing an 
extra train of English side-door coaches, some of the 
"has beens" no doubt. 

At Mrs. Whittlesey's my father paid fifteen dollars 
per week for three of us and maid. There was pleasant 
company there. Prof. Edward Lasell, who was building 
the Seminary, occupied the first floor, southwest room, 
with his family of five pretty children who were my 
playmates, also a family named Wales whose boys kept 
rabbits; I remember how they smelt. There was the 
Hon. Peter Harvey and wife, and a Major Merritt who 
was waiting for his rich grandmother to die. 

The "Poor House" had stood on the opposite corner 
but only the cellar remained. On Hancock St. south of 



94 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

the Station stood (as now) the house of the Rev. Joseph 
L. Partridge. He had a son of my age, Joseph Junior, 
who died very young. Before dying he repeated the 
Twenty-third Psalm, a fact which pious people im- 
pressed on my mind with great emphasis. On the south 
corners of Woodland Avenue and Hancock Street lived 
Rev. Mr. Woodbridge who had a small boys' school and 
Rev. Mr. Worcester. The next house, upon Hancock 
Street, was built by my father for his gardener, Patrick 
Horan ; that street was our driveway, for our place 
contained a hundred acres. Mrs. C. E. Parker lived in 
this house later. The next house was that of Rev. Mr. 
Harding. I attended the marriage of his daughter to 
Mr. Williams and well remember when they sailed away 
to convert the heathen, for it was much talked of. In 
the house east of Mr. Partridge's lived Mr. Johnson the 
builder. On Woodland Avenue the Seminary was under 
construction and near the railroad bridge, on this avenue, 
lived the Bradbury s (the Strongman house) who had 
twenty-one children ; I used to play with eight or ten of 
them. 

On Sundays we went to West Newton and heard 
Parson Gilbert preach and he was prosy enough ; I com- 
prehended nothing of his sermons, but I always had to 
go to church and we usually walked, quite a walk for a 
six year old. 

Miss Harriet Walker. 

My mother, Eliza Harding Walker, was born in Wal- 
tham, where she lived until ten years old. She has told 
me of riding over to Auburndale with her father, who 
was the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Wal- 



REMINISCENCES 95 

tham, to see the steam cars when they first began to run. 

A number of years later, her youngest brother, George 
Harding, was working for a civil engineer in Boston, 
and was sent out to survey some property in Auburn- 
dale. He liked the place so much that he bought the 
land where the Congregational Church now stands. 

Soon after this, in 1849, when only nineteen years old, 
he died, after only a few hours illness of cholera. My 
grandfather, the Rev. Sewall Harding, a little later 
went to Auburndale to look up this purchase of his 
son's. He was delighted with the place but wanted more 
land, so bought all the land bounded by Woodland and 
the present Grove and Hancock Sts., except the one lot 
on the corner of Hancock and Woodland Road; and he 
sold his son's lot for the church, where it now stands. 

He built the house now owned by the Seminary, 
formerly owned by Mr. Thomas Williams. At night 
not a light would be seen from this house except from 
the Seminary, which I think was being built at that time. 

Grandfather's household goods were in East Medway, 
now Millis, and were brought from there by horse load 
through Newton Lower Falls. From the latter place 
to the new house there was no more direct highway 
than around by Washington Street and through Wood- 
land Road. Uncle William Greenough Harding, then a 
boy, decided to take a short cut through the woods with 
his load, and thus prospected what later became that 
part of Grove Street from the end of Hancock to New- 
Lower Falls. 

The Auburndale people waited for my grandfather 
before forming the church as five of his family would 
join. 



96 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

When my father was in Andover Seminary he began 
to think of the Missionary work and wrote to mother 
about it. In her own words she says, — 

"That summer I was a guest of my brother John in 
Longmeadow, who had settled over the church there a 
few months before. I was busy with much sewing and 
thinking. I made parish calls with him. 

"Mr. Worcester * * * came there to preach one Sun- 
day. His text was from Matthew 16 :3 : 'O ye hypo- 
crites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye 
not discern the signs of the times?' It seemed as if he 
was preaching directly to me although I had not con- 
sidered myself a hypocrite, yet the signs of the times 
were made to appear very direct in the pointing to the 
question which I was considering. 

"In the afternoon I invited him to come into my little 
sewing room ; I had supposed that I was considered in 
Auburndale as frivolous and I wanted him to tell me 
what he thought of my fitness for entering on the mis- 
sionary work. I found to my surprise that he most ear- 
nestly desired that I would enter upon the foreign mis- 
sionary service. From that time on my purpose was 
settled and I could feel that the hand of the Lord was 
in it. * * * 

"The Auburndale ladies were exceedingly kind in help- 
ing to prepare the bride's outfit, and Charles Johnson 
hemmed a pair of sheets with his own hands. * * * 

"There were no horse cars then, and our large com- 
pany of friends walked from their various depots to 
Rowes Wharf where we assembled on the deck of the 
Bark Mimosa for farewell services." 



REMINISCENCES 97 

Charles Johnson tells how he asked for his first vaca- 
tion of a day to see her oflf. 

While mother was in Turkey my grandfather sold this 
first house to Mr. Thomas Williams, built what is now 
"The Walker Cottage Home" in which he lived a few 
years,' then sold it, building the original part of the 
second Walker Missionary Home, where my mother 
found him on her return in 1863 for her first furlough. 

My sister Helen and I well remember the little store 
where we bought our penny's worth of candy, etc. My 
sister went in once and asked for a rubber. The stern 
old maid who kept it said if she meant rubbers go to 
the shoe store ; if she meant eraser she would sell 
her one. 

By Miss Annie M. Hinckley. 

My sister and I think that there is no one who can 
remember and appreciate the beauty of Pigeon Hill 
in the early days as we can. When we came here (in 
1854) there was no house on Pigeon Hill but the old 
Pigeon House now much altered and known as the 
Pigeon Hill House. The Rev. C. D. Pigeon must have 
had an eye to natural beauty to have seen the beautiful 
location which nature had set for a home. He laid out 
the private way which led from Weston Road, now 
Auburn Street, to his house, and planted it with beau- 
tiful trees on either side, mostly evergreens. This road 
was called "The Avenue," when we were children, the 
present "Evergreen Avenue," which then wound round 
the house and came down in the valley to Charles Street. 
On either side, as it reached the valley, were walnut 



98 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

trees, which must have been imported, for none grow 
native in the woods hereabouts. 

Another feature which should have been preserved 
for its quaintness if not for use was the old Well-House. 
It was situated at the foot of the hill, very near where 
the terminus of the Riverside Extension track now is. 
Under a lovely old pine tree, the well-house enclosed 
the well belonging to the Pigeon House. It consisted of 
a stone wall built high around the well and sufficiently 
far from it to form a little house inside. The top was 
covered with earth so that beautiful moss and ferns 
grew there and also from the stone work. In front was 
a rustic entrance door which was always locked, except 
when the occupants of the house came down to pump 
the water into a tank on the hill to supply the house 
with water. This was done perhaps twice a day. 

I attended the Lexington Street School, though very 
young, and still remember something about it. Little 
tots and larger boys and girls were in the same room, — 
a regular old-fashioned district school. Two of the 
teachers were Miss Weeks and Miss Jackson. Miss 
Jackson must have had some progressive ideas, for I 
recollect that she introduced sewing into the school. 

Another feature of Miss Jackson's system was a "re- 
ward of merit", — a gold medal strung on a blue ribbon. 
Just before dismissal each day, she walked down among 
the pupils, and hung the medal on the neck of the child 
most deserving for that day. It was worn home, and 
returned the next morning. How we watched each 
afternoon, with wistful eyes, to see who would be the 
fortunate one ! I am sure I won it once, and nothing 
of success in life could ever give such a feeling of high 



REMINISCENCES 99 

honor as to be chosen to wear that medal home and keep 
it until the next day. 

On the upper floor of the school building meetings 
were held by the Methodist, and also by the Episcopal 
Society which was of sufficient size to have a rector. 
He jvas a Mr. Allen, a gray-haired, very dignified gen- 
tleman, whom I remember well. He lived in the house 
which was at that time the last one on Grove Street on 
the right going toward the Lower Falls. The house was 
some distance back from the street, surrounded by con- 
siderable land. Mr. Allen kept a horse, a cow, and a pig. 
In the Spring, he had a quantity of dressing for sale, 
and put a notice in the Post-Office, which was then in 
the Auburndale Depot, and which posted all notices in 
the window, "For Sale, Bovine, Equine and Swine 
Dressing." 

Later I attended the Ash Street School. On the 
lower floor was the primary grade, on the upper, the 
intermediate and grammar grades. Miss Joslyn was the 
only teacher who taught there while I was in the pri- 
mary grade. She was a good, faithful lady, who kept 
us in order and made us learn. Dr. Alcott was the 
Committee-man for this section of the town. I recollect 
one day when he visited the school we were struggling 
with the word "scissors". Up in one corner of the 
black-board, he wrote the word. We worked and erased 
all around it, but were never allowed to obliterate that. 
It remained there until the letters grew so dim that we 
could scarcely read them. 

In the upper room, Mr. Cephas Brigham should not be 
forgotten. He was the principal for several years. If 
there was ever a born teacher, it was he, and every per- 



100 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

son who had the good fortune to come under his instruc- 
tion has reason to be thankful. 

He came from what was then West Dedham, He 
told us that there he had his school in such a fine state 
of discipline that one day the fire-engine played 
■over the school-house yet his pupils kept at their work, 
paying no attention. The test was never applied to us, 
l)ut I fear we should have been found wanting. 

For a short time, Mr. Brigham had for an assistant 
Miss Phoebe Alcott (afterwards Mrs. Walter Crafts), 
the daughter of Dr. Alcott. She helped us about our 
■dreaded compositions, suggesting that we take simple 
subjects as, "Our Desk at School," or "A Walk in the 
Woods." Perhaps we were choosing too high-flown 
subjects. 

I remember Dr. Clark, the first pastor of the Congre- 
gational Church, with rather a feeling of awe. He was 
also on the School Committee. One thing strongly im- 
pressed on my mind is that when he visited the school 
liis great preachment was "Order was Heaven's first law," 
exhorting us to good order. 

Once my father was at home ill for a few days, and 
on Sunday after the afternoon service, for we had then 
an afternoon service at three o'clock. Dr. Clark called 
to see my father who was then convalescent. We chil- 
dren were around him, and were perusing the town re- 
ports which father had brought from town meeting 
•early in the week, and which we considered most inter- 
-esting. Dr. Clark was shocked, and reprimanded father 
for allowing us to have such worldly reading on the Sab- 
bath. He had very stiff ideas from which there was no 
•deviation, as I recollect. 



REMINISCENCES 101 

He was very fond of outdoor sports. Once he was in 
a skating party of grown-ups and children of whom I was 
one. Some person in the party found a stick-pin and Dr. 
Clark presented it to me, saying I deserved it because I 
was the youngest of the party. I was nine years old, and 
had just learned to skate that winter, so felt very proud 
that Dr. Clark thought me deserving of the pin. 

In connection with the Sunday School, Miss Marion 
Barrett held a little sewing circle every Saturday after- 
noon. Miss Barrett was the daughter of Deacon Bar- 
rett, a bright, pretty, and attractive young lady, and, 
Miss Barrett taught us to make pin rounds, pin cushions, 
needle books, et cetera, and when we had finished a 
sufficient quantity, she held a fair, and the proceeds 
went to help the missionary cause, 

I remember that one Saturday afternoon during the 
Civil War, we were to vote whether the fund should go 
to the soldiers in the field or to the usual cause. Some 
of us who were very patriotic grew quite warm at the 
thought of the missionaries having it and not the sol- 
diers. "Charity begins at home", we quoted, "but does 
not end there", the other side said. 

One Sunday during the Civil War, in the midst of 
the morning service, a messenger entered the church, 
and advanced to the pulpit. He was sent by Governor 
Andrew, and brought the message that a terrible battle 
had been fought. I think it must have been Bull Run, 
but I was a small child and do not remember. The 
Governor requested all the people to go to their homes, 
and scrape lint for the wounded. The minister, I think 
Dr. Clark, dismissed the congregation, and with sad 



102 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

hearts, we went home, and all worked around a table, 
scraping lint. 

In after days, we would come home from school, and 
scrape lint. When troop trains went through, my sister 
says school was dismissed, so that we might wave 
farewell to the departing soldiers. I well remember 
doing so. 

James L. Hillard. 

I grew up in Auburndale, or Riverside to be exact, 
and I look back upon the period as one of the pleasantest 
of my lifetime, and in like manner, I have always been 
pleased to recall the different events of the period as 
they occurred. We moved to Riverside in 1856 and 
lived in what has since been known as the Pigeon Hill 
House. My father purchased the place from Charles D. 
Pigeon. He had lived in the house himself up to the 
time of selling it, and then moved to another house of 
his in Riverside. Our house was the only one on the 
hill at that time, and we were really on the outskirts, 
for there was nothing but the unbroken wilderness 
beyond us. There were only ten houses in Riverside 
and the men who were in business in Boston traveled on 
the old Boston & Worcester R. R. as it was then known. 
We had no station, merely a platform, and there were 
two trains that furnished all the transportation facilities 
for the people of Auburndale and Riverside. There 
was the Lower Falls train that made five or six trips 
daily to and from Boston, and the other was the Saxon- 
ville train which ran to Boston in the morning and 
back in the evening. The people at Riverside petitioned 
the Railroad authorities for a station house, and after a 



REMINISCENCES 103 

while, in compliance with our request, a small building 
was erected at the foot of the hill just opposite the end 
of the street that leads up to the railroad. It was a sub- 
stantial building but had nothing inside of it except a 
single settee. It afiForded us a shelter from the storms 
and that was about all. 

^ John Mero had charge of the signals on the railroad 
for the Lower Falls branch. His duties did not require 
the whole of his time, but he had to be there to set 
the signals when the train was due. He had a small 
cobbler's shop that stood on the other side of the rail- 
road bridge between the tracks of the Main line and 
the Lower Falls branch. He was a fine shoemaker, be- 
sides being a cobbler, and we boys always liked to visit 
him in his cozy little shop, and listen to his dry jokes 
and sarcastic comments upon every-day affairs. He 
made us leather shoe strings and sometimes when he 
was not too busy he would make us slings and "suckers". 
So his place was naturally quite a popular resort for the 
boys. 

The only neighbor back of us on the Weston Road as it 
was called was Holbrook. He was a retired sea captain 
and owned about all the territory that is now Norumbega 
Park. His house stood near the road in rather a deep val- 
ley, and there was a small pond in front of the house. The 
place was decorated with a variety of marine curiosities, 
arranged in fantastic manner around the shore of the 
pond. There was a quantity of shells, I remember, of 
various kinds; several of those mammoth bivalves that 
come from the far East, and are the size of a washtub ; 
there were also a number of large sturgeon placed about 
in different positions, one fastened to a tree trunk, as 



104 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

if in the act of climbing. It was always a great place 
for chestnuts. There were several large trees that 
overhung the road, and I have often seen the road cov- 
ered with chestnuts which the passers-by would seldom 
even stop to gather. 

My father was superintendent of the Sunday School, 
the first to hold the position after the opening of the 
new Church, and continued in the office for a number 
of years. He was always very zealous in the matter 
of attendance at Church and religious meetings, and as 
a matter of course, his children were brought up to at- 
tend church meetings and Sunday School regularly. It 
was not from compulsion, however, but more from habit 
and choice, as everybody went to church on Sunday in 
those days. 

We made the trip over the hill in pleasant weather, 
climbing the hill where the present "Chicken Walk" is, 
and through what was then the Brown property, after- 
wards owned by Capt. Ranlett. When it stormed we 
went by the road and over Bourne's Bridge. There were 
no street lights in those days, or to be exact, I should 
say nights, and we usually carried lanterns to light our 
way. I don't recall my classmates in Sunday School, 
but I remember the teachers who took us in charge. 
The first was Mr. Partridge; he had the class for a 
year or two, and then gave it up, as he was moving away 
from Auburndale. He gave us each a bible upon 
leaving, and I have mine at the present time. Our other 
teachers were Charles A. Sweet, Charles C. Burr, 
Charles W. Robinson, and William A. Greene ; all of 
them men of prominence in the church, and the com- 
munity, and men who it was a privilege and pleasure to 



REMINISCENCES 105 

be associated with. Mr. Robinson's recent death brings 
him specially to my mind, and his fine presence and ear- 
nest, kindly manner I shall always hold in pleasing re- 
membrance. 

The church bell was always an object of my special 
admiration on account of its remarkably beautiful tone. 
I think it must have been injured at the time of the 
disaster to the church, when the steeple was blown down 
and the bell fell through the roof. It seems to me that 
the bell has lost some of its mellow sweetness it used 
to possess, from what cause, I do not know. 

On the high ground opposite the church was the home 
of H. B. Williams. We always called him "High Billy 
Williams," I suppose, because he lived on the hill. 

In the rear of the church in the house where Dr. 
Gordon lives, I should say, was Tom Haviland. He 
was not a retired minister, but his children had a donkey 
that seemed to be religiously inclined, for he very often 
would give us a loud melodious bray during prayer time 
in church. One of the attractive places of that section 
near the church was Charles E. Parker's on Hancock 
Street, where the Lanes now live. The Parkers owned a 
goat, that added a whole lot to the gayety of the neigh- 
borhood, and was really a circus all by himself. He had 
a commodious goat house to live in that I am told is 
still standing. It was a funny sight to see him climb out 
the window of his house and plant himself in triumph) 
on the roof. His favorite article of diet was paper, and 
he did not care what the color or texture was, it was all 
the same to him, and newspapers, labels of tomato cans 
and the tar paper covering his house, were devoured by 
this remarkable animal with equal gusto and dispatch. 



106 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Mr. Charles W. Robinson. 

My first visit to Auburndale was upon a lovely day 
early in the month of June, 1857. Mrs. Robinson and 
myself accepted an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Abel 
F. Hildreth (my uncle and aunt) to dine with them and 
spend the afternoon. After dinner a near neighbor of 
theirs, Mr. S. J. Eaton, called upon me and wished me 
to step over to his home, and see his house and grounds. 
* * * The next day he called at my store in Boston 
and urged me to go out with him to Auburndale and 
look at a place that was for sale that was owned by Mr. 
F. W. Newton on Ash Street * * * Suffice it to say, 
I went at once to the agent who had it for sale, and 
very soon we agreed upon the price and terms, and in 
one week's time from the first sight of it, I had a deed 
of my new home. After making some improvements on 
the place, we moved into it on the 5th of July, 1857. 

We attended church at the Congregational Church, 
which had been dedicated the week previous. Rev. E. 
W. Clark had been installed as pastor at the same time. 
We met some delightful people at church, and soon 
reckoned them our best friends. The week following 
the installation was a gala week in Auburndale. The 
eldest daughter of Deacon Samuel Barrett was married 
in church to General Samuel Breck of Washington, 
D. C. He was a member of the United States Army., 
connected with one of the departments. The wedding 
was a large and brilliant one. 

During the winter of 1857 and 1858 and for many 
seasons after that, residents of Auburndale were greatly 
interested in skating. * * * Business men often left 



REMINISCENCES 107 

Boston for home early in the afternoon so as to enjoy 
with their famihes on Ware's Pond at Riverside or 
down the river this invigorating exercise. Fathers and 
mothers often spent most of the day with the Httle ones 
who were just learning to skate, only going home for 
their meals. In the evening, we built bright fires on 
Ware's Pond, and had a great number of the older ones 
in our company. All enjoyed the fun greatly. To show 
how obstacles were overcome, I give you one incident. 
The writer, with two friends who were very fond of 
the sport, went one evening to Weston Bridge for a 
skate down the river. While two of us were engaged 
in putting on our skates, our friend, who was a little 
more expeditious than ourselves, started down the river. 
In less than five minutes, he had skated into an airhole 
and gave a shout. We went to his assistance. He was 
soon out, as wet "as a drowned rat", but he removed his 
skates and then started for his home at the corner of 
Grove and Auburn Streets, saying he would be back 
soon. And sure enough, before we had any reason to 
expect him, he was back again, with a dry suit, and a 
jug of sweet cider. It was a moonlight evening, and we 
enjoyed our skate exceedingly. 

One of the very interesting events in Auburndale life 
was that of the Tin Wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Charles 
C. Burr on the tenth anniversary of their marriage. 
The ladies and gentlemen of the place arranged a sur- 
prise party for the occasion. They planned a call by 
some very dear friends from out of town (who were 
given the secret), and they were received in the east 
front parlor. While the Burrs were entertaining their 
friends, the ladies and gentlemen entered the dining- 



108 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

room from the long west windows, and the tables were 
laid with the bountiful supper that had been provided 
for the occasion. In due time, Mr. and Mrs. Burr and 
their callers were invited to walk out to the dining room, 
where they met a large company of friends and neigh- 
bors. It was a perfect surprise to them, they had no 
inkling of the scheme. Upon side tables were gathered 
a wonderful variety of Bright Tin Gifts useful in the 
home. Mr. Burr had placed upon his head a Tin Bell 
Crown Hat, upon his neck a Tin Standing Collar. A 
Tin Watch with a ratchett that upon turning a crank 
made such a noise as to show plainly that there were 
real works inside, was held around his neck by an enor- 
mous chain. Mr. Burr made no end of fun with this 
wonderful rig. Mrs, Burr was supplied with a crown 
made of Spiral Tin which was quite tasteful. One of 
the gentlemen, remembering Mrs. Burr's queenly ap- 
pearance, conceived the idea of furnishing a beautiful 
wreath of flowers for her head. He ordered one made at 
Copeland's in Boston. When he went for it, the florist 
said he had never made a wreath for a lady's head, and 
he did not know how to do it. He gave to the gentleman 
a fine box of choice cut flowers for someone to prepare 
it. The gentleman was greatly disappointed, but took 
the flowers, and went to Auburndale on the next train, 
and made the wreath himself. Before the Tin Crown 
was placed upon Mrs. Burr's head, the beautiful wreath 
was put in place and then the Tin Crown above it, and 
all the guests said, "She looks like a Queen indeed." 
Mrs. Burr was greatly pleased with the wreath, and by 
her great care preserved it many days. Everybody 
present had a delightful time. 



REMINISCENCES 109 

One of the institutions of Auburndale in its early days 
was the Auburndale Book Club. It held monthly meet- 
ings at members' houses. At these gatherings, the first 
thing in order was a supper. After this came a dis- 
cussion of the subject that had been selected at the 
previous meeting. The suppers were excellent, and the 
talks were interesting and improving. I remember a 
meeting at my house in the early 60's, when the subject in 
hand was "The National Banking System, and the issue of 
Greenbacks". The interest in the matter was great, and 
very nearly all present were greatly in favor of the plan. 
One of our members, however, was a pessimist, and I 
recall his serious looks and words as he said in sub- 
stance, "Gentlemen, If the Government issues Green- 
backs and makes them legal tender without a Gold basis, 
it will prove the ruin of our country. Whoever lives to 
see the close of the war will find the Greenback worth- 
less, just as the Continental Currency was at the close 
of the Revolutionary War. If I am spared to that tima 
I expect to see Greenbacks sold at one dollar a bushel." 
We were amazed at his words, but he seemed to be so 
confident in his position that we did not ridicule him 
as we wished to. Strange to say, the passage of the Na- 
tional Banking System of Salmon P. Chase proved one 
of the best pieces of legislation ever enacted in our 
country. 

Francis E. Clark. 

My memories of Auburndale date back to the spring 
of 1859, when as a little boy, seven and a half years old, 
I was brought by my uncle, Rev. E. W. Clark, from my 
early home on the banks of the Ottawa River in Lower 



110 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

Canada, as it was then called. My uncle was the first 
pastor of the Congregational Church, the only church 
then in the village, and he soon became by legal process 
my adopted father as well, and my name was changed 
by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts from 
Francis Edward Symmes to Francis Edward Clark, 
Clark being my mother's maiden name. 

I remember the boyish curiosity with which I looked 
forward to my new home. On our way out from Bos- 
ton we deposited at Brighton two ladies of uncertain age, 
who had travelled far with us, and soon I heard the con- 
ductor call out "Auburndale", though not with the clear, 
emphatic and long-drawn-out effort of a certain brake- 
man of today, who adds to the joy of travelling on the 
Saxonville train. 

Hancock Street was then, as now, a broad and gen- 
erous one, though of course many new houses now adorn 
it. But the Burr House with its ample proportions and 
large grounds was then standing as today, and the Dr. 
Edward Strong house (No. 33 Hancock St.) looked 
very much as it does today, nearly sixty years later. 

I found that my own home was to be a little farther 
up on Hancock Street, nearly opposite what is now 
Williston Road, and also nearly opposite the Horatio 
Parker House, with its beautiful garden and climbing 
creepers, which also has not changed much since those 
early days. This house, where we lived, has since be- 
come the annex to the Missionary Home, and of late 
has been much enlarged and improved, while I believe 
the name "Annex" has been changed to some more 
euphonious term. 

Afterwards we lived on "the other side of the track" 



REMINISCENCES 111 

where Mrs. Blood now lives, and near to the old wooden 
school house. Then there were comparatively few 
houses in that region, and I do not remember any store, 
though I suppose there must have been one. People 
then did most of their trading in Boston. 

Those were the days of the Pigeons and the Par- 
tridges, and Mr. Woodbridge had a school for boys 
opposite the church. The Johnsons, the Hildreths, the 
Sweets and the Gordons were prominent people in the 
village community, and I remember that I thought there 
was no girl quite so pretty as Dell Barrett. That was 
before the age of "calf love" however, and though I 
well remember Alice Gordon and her sisters, my chief 
friends were the old boys of Auburndale ; Ed. Strong, 
for example, who was my special pal, and Henry Parker, 
whom I particularly liked because he was such a good 
hand at getting our fishlines untangled, when they got 
snarled or caught on the branch of a tree. He was some- 
what older than I, and once when I confided to him the 
reason for my preference for his society, I remember that 
he did not respond as cordially as I thought my overtures 
demanded. He probably thought that his company 
should be preferred for some more altruistic reason. 

Dave Parker was a young kid in those days, and some- 
what beneath the notice of his superiors of eight and ten 
years of age. 

My memories of the old school are not very distinct, 
as a good deal of the time I was taught at home, and 
part of my education was of the out door variety, for 
my adopted father was a great lover of nature, and 
with rod and gun we often used to roam the woods to- 
gether, though we seldom brought home any furred or 



112 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

feathered game. A string of pickerel and perch, how- 
ever, was not uncommon, and I remember being greatly 
excited by a trout that I caught in a brook near the 
Cambridge reservoir. That event was almost worthy of 
being recorded with the first pickerel which I landed, 
near where the Newton Boat Club has its headquarters 
today. 

The hill around which the Circuit Road now winds its 
devious way had not then been shaved down as it has 
today, and was covered with a dense growth of pine 
trees. On this hill, and perhaps on the very lot at 379 
Central Street, where I afterwards lived, the partridges 
and pigeons, not the Partridges and Pigeons, used to 
whirr away, and sometimes fell victims to our shot guns, 
for I was early initiated into the use of that weapon, 
which I have since discarded for a camera. 

The only house on this hill at that time was then called 
the Brown House. It was afterwards a red house in 
color, and was occupied in later years by our esteemed 
citizen, Mr. Edward Hardy. Mrs. Brown, the mistress 
of the mansion, was my Sunday School teacher, and on 
one occasion, when we were studying the book of Exo- 
dus, she gave to each of her class some manna, which 
we devoutly believed came from the very pot which the 
children of Israel stored up and kept in remembrance 
of their wanderings in the wilderness. 

The old inhabitants will remember some of the thrill- 
ing events of those days ; the freight wreck on the 
bridge, across the Charles River, for instance, when the 
cattle cars fell over on the ice, and the poor maimed 
creatures were dreadfully mangled. Some of them were 



REMINISCENCES 113 

put out of their misery, I remember, by my adopted 
father's merciful axe. 

Perhaps they will remember too, the wonderful meteor 
that looked as big as a railway train rushing through the 
heavens, a journey which occupied a full minute before 
it disappeared. 

Of all the people of Auburndale aside from my 
adopted parents, of whom I can only speak with rever- 
ence and love, Deacon Burr made the deepest impression 
upon me. He was the same gentle, kindly, generous 
soul whom I found still living there a generation later, 
active in every good work, constant in his attendance 
on preaching and prayer meeting services, always ready 
to put his hand in his pocket but not ready to keep it 
there, when any good cause was presented. His good 
wife, too and little Lucy with her pretty ringlets I re- 
member as people whom Auburndale could not have dis- 
pensed with. 

On the whole it was an ideal spot for a boy to grow 
up in ; healthy and wholesome, morally, spiritually and 
physically. I shall always be thankful that a good Prov- 
idence brought an orphan boy, who had just lost all his 
nearest relatives, not only father and mother, but two 
brothers and a sister, to that charming spot in the Arcadia 
of Massachusetts. 

From the Address of Rev. F. E. Clark in the Congrega- 
tional Church Sept. 29, 1912,— on the Occasion of the 
Dedication of a Bronze Commemorative Tablet in 
Memory of his adopted Father and Mother. 

"But the first minister was a genuine and faithful 
pastor as well as a good preacher, as is indicated from 



Iil4 EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 

the long list of names kept in his commonplace book, 
with some notes as to the religious experiences and 
growth in grace of his parishioners. In this list we find 
sucjj well-known names in Auburndale as Harriet Den- 
ny, Mary Bourne, Lizzie Strong, Phoebe Alcott, George 
Johnson, Martha Sweet, Walter Sweet, and Henry Hil- 
dreth. Against some of these names are recorded the 
words, "serious", or "anxious", or "trusting in Christ", 
A long list of names from the young ladies in the Sem- 
4nary is recorded with similar annotations, showing that 
he regarded the Seminary pupils as an important part 
of his parish. Since there was but one church in the 
village at that time, the young ladies all naturally at- 
tended the Congregational Church. 

Various Sources 

One gets little touches here and there that add a spicy, 
personal flavor to the accounts of early days. 

Mr. C. D. Pigeon is described as a short, stout, neigh- 
borly man ; while Mr. Woodbridge is spoken of as a great 
contrast, tall and thin, not by any means universally liked. 
Mr. Pigeon a bachelor until middle life when he fell pre- 
cipitately in love, was of very deliberate habits. One of 
his friends remarked that Pigeon was "never in a hurry 
except to get married." He used frequently to go to Dr. 
Gilbert's house to see him "for a minute," and then stay 
aft hour or two. Mrs. Gilbert called this a "Pigeon 
minute." 

Auburndale was not entirely given over to the Saints. 
In what is now Gammon's block, a man named Wilk- 
inson kept a general store, to which he had built an ad- 



REMINISCENCES 115 

dition where "molasses" was sold, of a very thin and ex- 
hilirating variety. Laborers from the "pine woods", to- 
wards West Newton, used to go there and get gloriously 
drunk and very quarrelsome on Sunday afternoons. 
"Look 'ere, Charlie", said Wilkinson to Mr. Johnson one 
day "You ought to come and see the new h'ell I've put 
oiv the h'end of my 'ouse." Mr. Johnson felt that the 
proprietor of the molasses barrel spoke better than he 
knew. 

Contrast is brought home to us when we hear how a 
Mr. Learned from Watertown once pastured his cows on 
the land along the southside of Woodland Road, and 
took them to water at Haskell's Pond. 

In the season, school children also went to the Pond 
for water lilies. One daring boy, Mr. Frost remembers 
seeing wade in further and further for lilies, until he 
finally disappeared, to the horror of his mates. They 
watched the spot, fascinated, never expecting to see him 
again, when miraculously he emerged on the other side, 
dripping with mud. The incident, however, lessened the 
popularity of pond lilies for some time. 

Mrs. M. H. Kimball used to tell of the very hard 
snow-storms in the good old days, when the men didn't 
get in town for two days at a time. "After the roads 
were dug out, you couldn't look over the sides as you 
rode along in a sleigh." 

She remembered entertaining the Auburndale Rural 
Society, her principal impression being her chagrin at 
the number of mosquitoes which filled the house. 

"Everybody was friendly in Auburndale from the 
earliest days. All pulled together, and all enjoyed each 
other." 



116 



EARLY DAYS IN AUBURN DALE 



STREETS AND FORMER NAMES 
(Partial List) 



Modern Names 
Washington St. 
Auburn St. 
Greenough St. 

Rowe St. 
Walcott St. 
Auburndale Ave. 
Lexington St. 
Ash St. 
Islington Rd. 
Commonwealth Ave 



Woodbine St. 
Charles St. 
Woodland Rd. 

Hancock St. 
Grove St. 
Bourne St. 
Central St. 



County 
Roads 



Old Names 

Sherburne Rd., Natick Rd. 

Proprietors way, Weston Rd. ' 

Proprietors way, Weston Rd., ' 
Park St. ' 

Elm St. 

Ellsworth St. 

Proprietors way. Emerald St. 

Lane to Martin Collier's, Waltham St. 

River St. 

Ash St., River St. 

(From Lexington to Ash) formerly Wes- 
ton St., Seaverns St. 

(From Ash to Woodbine) Bourne St. 

Washington Ave. 

Pleasant St. 

Proprietors way, Harvard St., Woodland 
Ave. 

Forest Ave., Walnut Ave. 

Linden Rd., Waban Rd. 

Franklin St. 

(Between Hancock St. and Grove St.) 
Hancock St. 



HISTORICAL MAP 



AUBURNDALE, MASS. 





EXPL ANAT IONS 

HS EAlstrno •5rtr«t» (ai'rt out hefi'e 1900 
- " .1 . . ,. 1855 

C"'"!'! since 18: 

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■ E.;st,n, H.u«6 bu;it before ,800 
1855 
Q Ho..„ b.,,t bet»„ ,eoo, n.. d„t,.,ed 
■--■' " " " 1855 

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an odd nwmti»( i(,»*'no o,,j,„„i ,„,„* 

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^^ LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



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